How to Manage Rejection
If you are directly or indirectly involved in business development it is generally accepted the biggest barrier to being enthusiast about it is the fear of rejection. We don’t like hearing no which means we often don’t follow up opportunities as much as or persistently as we should.
If you have met someone at a business event or anywhere in fact, and spotted a potential opportunity you may have been brave enough to ask if you may contact them a few days later.
But when the day comes for that call some or all of the following voices appear in our heads
- I don’t want to seem too pushy.
- They won’t remember me.
- I feel like a salesman.
- If they want my services, they’ll call me.
- I’m not sure how they’re going to react to me.
- I’m not really certain that I’m going to get anything out of it.
- I’m not sure what to say.
- I’m anxious about gatekeepers.
If you believe you add value to your clients’ and customers’ business through your services and products you are following up to HELP NOT SELL.
Don’t take the ‘no’ personally; they are not rejecting you only the offer of your help. It’s business, they will only buy when they are ready, willing and able.
If you don’t follow up you’ll never know what might have happened and it could be worse than that. If they did want to do business, you have lost their trust, damaged your own and probably, more importantly, your own business’s reputation.
The big issue in our business is not following up, we’re brilliant at that! It’s getting people to say either yes or no. In my view, no is the second best answer to yes; you know where you stand and you simply get on with the next part of your work.
Next week part 2 – Pest -v- Persistent
