Scaredy Cat Series: Fear of Being Rejected
Selling involves putting yourself out there, and that can be as uncomfortable as attending a middle school dance.
While you can’t always control the outcome of every sales call, you can control how you react and move on from rejection.
Pitch rejection gives salespeople an opportunity to reevaluate their approach, refine their skills, and ask for feedback.
Why Do We Fear Rejection?
Makes sense, right? Who doesn’t want to be loved and appreciated?
Medical experts tell us that the anxious feeling we get when we’re afraid is a standardized biological reaction. When a person is cold calling, getting feedback from a supervisor, or (to stick with the middle school theme) asking someone to dance, their body is signaling a standardized biological reaction.
So, if you feel a little hurt after getting hung-up on, that doesn’t mean you’re too sensitive—it means you’re human!
Look for A New Sales Tool
It’s normal to get a little disheartened in sales, but what’s crucial is how you bounce back from pitch rejection.
Start with analyzing your sales approach.
How do you reach out to prospects? Do you send plain-text emails with a predictable and generic message?
A personalized message can make a prospect feel like they are receiving their favorite JanSport backpack with their initials engraved in their favorite color.
Oh ya, the effects of personalization in sales are huge! Check out our video about the benefits of personalization.
Or, if you really want to “wow” your next prospect, you can send a personalized video email.
It’s easy to glaze over a faceless email, but adding video can make the sales process more personal. Unlike a normal email, video email lets you track views, engagement, and clicks (mic drop).
Plus, what’s more refreshing and welcoming than seeing somebody smiling at you with your name on a whiteboard?
Hmm okay, maybe a video from our Chief of Happiness, Emma…
So you get it, personalization is the bee’s knees. But before you jump in and start making your next video, do you know what your prospect’s interests and needs are?
Are You Listening?
Active listening. The ability to fully concentrate on what’s being said rather than passively hearing someone.
Sales professionals are excellent at listening, but active listening is a whole new skill set.
Practice your active listening skills by rehearsing with a coworker or a friend. Ask them to pretend to be a prospect while you apply your active listening skills.
Give the prospect ample opportunity to talk about their needs. Then you can have a clear understanding of how your solution meets their needs.
The goal is to strengthen the conversation by showing the prospect you are present and engaged. Thoughtful conversations lead to trust and a positive impression.
The information and rapport you build through active listening will produce an effective and original video email.
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Improvement begins when you recognize your performance could use some tweaks. Learning–in life,not just in sales–means taking ownership of not knowing everything.
Pitch rejection opens up the opportunity to self-reflect and become more open-minded.
So how could a savvy sales professional go about obtaining feedback?
Start with the people around you–your coworkers! Use video email to create a friendly internal dialogue about your performance.
Lastly, craft a quick video email asking for feedback after a sales call. The worst that could happen is that they won’t respond! Watch our video to see for yourself.
The Next Step
Okay so, yes, sales representatives can’t control if their pitches, cold calls, or video emails get rejected.
But rejection is an opportunity to personalize your sales approach with video, refine your active listening skills, and turn constructive criticism into motivation.
Getting rejected from a prospect hurts, almost as much as getting denied a dance, but it’s the first step to crafting a new innovative sales approach.
Thankfully the next step is right here! Start a free trial and start sending video emails today.
