A short talk (YouTube video transcript) by Henning Schwinum about the difference between objections and rejection in sales and practical strategies to cope with rejection. The speaker defines objections as negotiable concerns and rejection as an outright, non-negotiable refusal; then lists nine recommendations for handling rejection (expect it, don't take it personally, prepare a response, maintain emotional distance, build a pipeline, have a mission mindset, celebrate rejections, etc.).
Chapters
Early in my career as an individual contributor and as a leader, I always felt that every client facing job description should include the requirement has to be able to take rejection. I differentiate very clearly between rejection and objections. Objections are non buying reasons. Customers put them forward sometimes as a way to negotiate concessions, sometimes as an indication that they have not completely understood the product, sometimes as an indication that the time, the place, the person or the budget is not there for a positive decision and objections can be overcome. I did several videos and blogs on how to do that. A rejection, on the other hand, is an outright dismissal or refusal of the proposal. It does not require reason, it is not negotiable, nor is there a future or next step. Rejection is the worst. And yes, there are ways to prepare and cope with it. But the truth is it always angered and frustrated me. And yes, the fear of rejection sometimes is greater than the actual rejection. It can immobilize and affect drive and performance. Now that I've gotten this off my chest, let's look at ways to deal with rejection. 1. Expect it and do not take it seriously. Not everyone needs your product or service. Rejection is part of trying to sell. It is inevitable. Stop making assumptions. Do not play mind games. Do not proactively assume that no one is interested in your product or service. 3. Prepare to deliver a good response. Something like thank you. I'm glad you said this so we no longer spend your time and mine on this. 4. Maintain an emotional distance. This may be the most important one. Tell yourself this is part of the game and the next opportunity is just a phone call away. Have a pipeline. Rejection is hardest when you put all your hopes into this one client. Be able to move on quickly and tackle the next one. Don't take rejection personally. This is not about you. To the client. It could be anyone. Simply smile and move on. Remember, it happens to everyone. Yes, thousands of salespeople around the world, around the country, experience rejection every day. Number eight Have a mission mindset. Focus on the execution of the sales process. Do not get derailed. The process is built to deliver success. This rejection is built in. Number nine and final celebrate rejections since they're inevitable and built into the process. A rejection gets you one step closer to a sale and with all nine recommendations in place, rejection is still the worst in sales. You just have to be able to take rejection.
