Every good salesperson knows that before they get a “yes” they’re going to hear a whole lot of “no”s. Part of being good at sales means knowing how to overcome objections and keep positive, and it’s one of the primary things we teach at Fire, Inc. But just how are you supposed to accomplish that?
One way is to set goals. As long as you know that you’re working towards something big, smaller setbacks are easier to endure. These goals should be bigger than just making your sales goals, but something personal that you want to look forward to. Knowing that you’re trying to pay for a car or saving up for a vacation makes you more likely to be able to move forward.
Knowing your sales ratio also can make you less likely to get discouraged. Go through your records and figures and figure out just how many times, on average, you are rejected before making a sale. Is it 15 times? 30? Your personal sales ratio will change depending on what you’re selling and where you’re located, but knowing it will help you feel a lot better about your rejection. You aren’t losing a sale, this is simply the 19th rejection you’ll have to receive before you make a sale on the 30th.
But the most important thing is that no matter how difficult it may seem, don’t give up on what you’re doing. It’s easy to start dreading rejection to the point that you don’t go out and try to sell at all, which is entirely counterproductive. Create a routine to stay motivated so, no matter how you feel, you always make a point to be out pounding the pavement or on the phone at a certain time.
Because, as every good salesmen knows, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
