Never, never, never give up. -Winston Churchill
The greatest killer of the spirit of a salesperson is the
fear of rejection. While many salespeople report few lost
sales from it, rejection by design, usurps a fundamental
need that salespeople have to maintain emotional momentum,
to be accepted and liked. Sales managers report lack of
persistence as the number one cause of lost sales. Globally,
dealerships scream follow-up is the culprit for the number
one loss of sales. Who is right? Could it be an initial
rejection, and the fear of more rejection that kills
confidence and discourages salespeople from being persistent
and following through in closing a sale?
Veteran salespeople know to instinctively remain calm,
confident, and persistent when presented with rejection in
sales. This calm, but confident response-ability is a key
component for all successful people actually taught to most
of us as children. While rejection may clearly be Beyond
Your Control, one famous Dr. believes how you respond to it
is not.
Perhaps in youth, your parents taught you to see certain
events as inevitable - "Only two things are certain, death
and taxes" - that you should accept life and move on. You
should accept the rained-out game and not freak-out when a
flight is postponed. (A common trait of the novice flyer)
Keeping that in mind, rejection continues to put an
overwhelming chink in the proverbial armor of today's
salespeople.
Salespeople fear rejection only if they are not prepared to
handle rejection. Train your salespeople to be ready. Dr.
Seuss wrote children's books about four decades ago. Seuss
simplified in story form, how to overcome and by-pass
rejection. His understanding of the dynamic allowed him to
address rejection in one of the most popular books ever
written for children, Green Eggs and Ham (first published in
1960). In this simple book, Seuss coupled the relationship
between selling and rejection in a most interesting way.
In Green Eggs and Ham you meet Sam, a scruffy, funny looking
salesman facing the undisputed number one killer of sales
--strong rejection. Sam, a.k.a. "Sam-I-am," embodies
persistence, as he refuses to take "no" for an answer from
his customer, a grumpy curmudgeon of a client, mentally
unshakable to trying something new.
In Green Eggs and Ham, Sam calmly presents old inventory to
the Cat. Sam makes sixteen different closes, stays focused,
denying rejection as it comes, and finds success after an
amazing seventeenth attempt. "OK. Maybe you wouldn't like it
in here or there, but would you like it in a house or with a
mouse?" Sam never gave up. He never made excuses because he
was prepared, Sam consistently tells the Cat he WILL like
it, and the customer respected Sam for it. Not only did the
customer eventually see value and buy the eggs, he also
bought the ham. Because of Sam's belief and love for both
products, the customer ultimately told Sam that he too,
loved both.
The customer also agreed to give Sam referrals.
It doesn't matter what you sell, use "Seuss Sense" when
confronted with rejection.
"Seuss Sense" Number One- Believe in Yourself
Three times on the first three pages Sam tells the world "I
am Sam"! Why? Seuss knew the importance of knowing who you
are before selling a customer and he made sure we understood
too! Believing in your self is paramount before gaining
customer confidence. Customers can sense a salesperson's
level of personal confidence, and respond accordingly. I
read a famous book that says, "If you believe strongly
enough, you can say to a mountain, 'Move!' and it will."
Professionals know. Rejection isn't personal. Professionals
never endorse negative opinions. Therefore, "I do not like
green eggs and ham" is NOT an "I do not like you," -it's
merely a red flag that says, "You haven't built enough
value". Use "Seuss Sense!" Slow down, build value, and ask
for the sale again. You must know your product in order to
build value. When Sam gets rejected after his box and the
fox story, he doesn't give the Cat a business card. He finds
a new angle, creates mental ownership and discusses the
advantages of owning the product in a house with a mouse.
Sam is ready.
We can all do that.
"Seuss Sense" Number Two- When the rapport is warm you'll
weather the storm.
With rejection, too often we prematurely abandon the value
of rapport building and doubt our sales skills, perhaps
running for a brochure or manager. Not Sam. Green eggs and
ham had spiffs on it, so Sam builds more rapport! He
maintains eye contact, he never once stops smiling, and
establishes the kind of rapport that picks the locks of
closed minds. Like getting a toddler to eat green foods, Sam
looks his customer in the eye, believes that "new green"
must be given a chance, and his rapport weathers the
rejection.
Sam does what we should all do.
"Seuss Sense" Number Three- Believe in what you're Selling
Sam, like all salespeople, understands that value is
important.
Green eggs and ham may fly off the shelves on St. Patrick's
Day when "green" is easy, but the other 364 days "green"
must be SOLD. Sam's belief in green eggs and ham allowed his
customer to believe in them too. Sam proves beyond the
shadow of a doubt, when you know you're your selling and
believe in what you're selling, your customer believes in
you. In sales, enthusiasm and confidence will never go out
of style.
Are you building it everyday?
Young or old, the timeless lessons are the best. Believe in
yourself, your product and persistence will instinctively
follow. It just makes "Seuss Sense".
And it's just that simple.
Chris Alford is a father, a North Carolina native and
founder and president of Motivate America, Inc. and Chris
Alford Concepts, two leadership training companies
specializing in dynamic educational programs. http://www.ChrisAlfordConcepts.com
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