Failure in sales. Don't even think of it . Never mention it. Introducing a negative in sales is a no no. That is what the book says. Hell that is what everyone connected with or in the selling profession says. Does it happen? Of course it does. If no one failed in selling then everyone would have a hundred computers, a thousands vacuums, etcetera. You get the idea. So why not face it understand it and overcome it.
Think about almost any historical figure,well known personality, inventor, researcher, author. Read about them. They could tell you about rejection and the thought of failure. If you are a baseball player and you are successful you have failed seventy percent of the time. Read Lincoln's biography and observe his record of failure. Think of how many times Edison failed before the lights went on.
In sales as in life, you must learn how to handle rejection and failure, that is what it is all about. The best salespeople experience failure regularly. It is all about the end of the day. Your percentage of success, and how you dealt with your failures.
Many times during my career I made not only mistakes but blunders. On more than one occasion I was called on those mistakes by managers or other notables in the company. My reply, yes I made some mistakes, I admitted it and dealt with the constructive criticism they leveled on me, it was my bad. I knew one thing that I would always win more than I lost by a wide margin and add to the company's bottom line with the best of the top salespeople. I knew in the final analysis that the knowledge and experience I possessed would benefit me. My selling acumen was built on a solid foundation. I knew the essentials of selling, the basics of how a sale was made. No matter what happened, no matter how many miscues I made I knew eventually I would bounce back because of my training and conditioning. Have faith in your abilities, training, and experience. Don't dwell on your failures, rejections and shortcomings.
Failure is in all of us. It is the way we handle it, the way we deal with it that's important. Look failure in the face and walk through it. Anyone that holds you accountable is not nurturing you, they are hurting you; stifling your growth. As long as you are trying to work through your mistakes and failures you are in the game. People who are in the know recognize this because they too have failed and felt rejection.
Not admitting to failure and rejection is as ridiculous as not admitting to fear. It is a part of life, of selling, of what we do. Facing it, learning from it, not fearing it, knowing we can profit from it is the key to success.
Talking about failure and rejection in sales is nothing that should be swept under the rug. Introducing a negative, ridiculous. Being aware of something helps you recognize it and plan for it and its' consequences. Sales people are adaptable. They face tough situations all the time and are not afraid to experience failure.
Thank You
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
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