In SaaS sales, SDRs and AEs are faced with a relentless stream of objections, constant refusals and straight up rejections. Not everyone can handle this kind of punishment. That’s why these sales reps are a special breed and a critical part of any company.
Overcoming the constant barrage of no’s is not an easy feat. There are many things that you can do to prepare yourself, but many of them are not taught in employee onboarding or can be found in the latest book of closing techniques. A sales mentor of mine used to say, “If you need to close, you opened poorly.” There are two ways successful sales reps deal with this challenge: internally and externally. The most successful sales reps know best what to tell their prospects and what to tell themselves when faced with a “no.” Learning how to externally deal with prospects after hearing “no” is more than rebutting objections and trying a different closing technique.
You have to understand the real reason behind the “no.” Learning what to say to yourself — and how to handle the emotions that go hand in hand with frequent rejection — is equally important. I’m sure you’ve worked with the rep that is always happy, smiling and in a good mood. People often chock it up to genetics: “It’s in her DNA. She’s just a positive person.” Though it may be true that she’s a positive person, attributing happiness and her success in sales to genetics is inaccurate. The real forces at work are mental toughness and emotional dexterity.
How To Stay Mentally Tough When Faced With “No”
1.Exert Control over the Situation: Determine that you are in control over the situation. Determine that you can and will get positive results even when faced with rejection. Perception is reality.
2.Let Go of Your Ego: Believe it or not, it’s not always about you. The prospect is not saying no to you, he/she is saying no to the product. As Dr. Maxwell Maltz wrote, “You are not your failures.”
3.“No” Does Not Always Mean “No”: Don’t confuse rejection with refusal. I’m not suggesting you pester your prospects into submission until they say “yes.” This “don’t take no for an answer” approach is what gave sales a dirty name in the first place. But realize that “no” could mean “not now.” Following up appropriately and offering true value often leads to a “yes” in the end.
4.Learn: Everything is a learning opportunity. Once you take that perspective, then you can move on and become stronger. Failure only comes when you fail to learn the lesson.
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Contact me at tduggan(@)Cogentco.com at Cogent for more Info or to Network. Cogent delivers customers with Highly Reliable, Secure and Scalable IP Networks with over 190 markets throughout 38 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with over 57,900 route miles of long-haul fiber and over 27,400 miles of metropolitan fiber.
