“Believe it or not, I’m walkin’ on air – and I’m not afraid of NO

Believe it or not, I’m walkin’ on air. I never thought I could be so free.

I am…the Greatest American Hero.”

Note: The above reference is to an old TV show that ran from 1981-1983…if you’re not familiar with it…it was terrible!

What? Yep…you heard me. The sales guy. That guy. That girl. We spend a lot of our time trying to avoid being seen as “that guy” because it has a negative connotation attached to it thanks, in large part, to a minority of shady sales people.

So why the Greatest American Hero bit? Because in a way, we are! Okay, I totally respect our brave men and women in the military and our police and fire fighters. I’m not trying to take anything at all away from real “heroes” in our country.

What I’m talking about is our way of life. The American way of life is wealthier than any other in history. We LOVE to have “things”…and because we’ve been so successful and industrious…why not? That’s where we come in. The sales guy is necessary (and by “guy,” I mean person…no gender preference here).

We provide the means for people to properly address the acquisition of wants and needs. Most things that are actively sold fall squarely in the “wants” column. Sure, a lot of it is necessary or important, but not always imperative. Even if it is imperative, the fact that a consumer can readily buy whatever they “need” at almost any time is amazing…and I love the fact that we have the job of “selling” it to them. If you need to buy what I’m selling…I’ll be the Greatest American Hero of that moment for you.

Ahhh…but salesmanship comes with a price. A human ego. We think we’re great, and we’re right most of the time. Problem is, there are a lot of us, and we can’t sell every potential customer every time. (If you remember the show I’m referencing…that guy fell down A LOT!)

So the hero has to fall and fall often. This part of sales is what drives most people out of the profession. It’s hard to hear “NO.” How do we deal with it? Here are a few tips…

Play the numbers game – Sales is a numbers game. How many times have you heard that? Hundreds? If you’ve been in sales very long, it would have to be in the hundreds.

Do you know why it’s said so often? Because it’s true. Don’t fight it; the numbers don’t lie. The more times you ask for the business, make a presentation, etc…the more you’ll sell.

Obviously certain people close a higher number of the sales attempts than others…but as a general rule, if you make more sales calls, you’ll sell more.

This also means you’ll hear “no” more. No to the pitch. No, you cannot make the pitch. No, we don’t even want to see you. No no no no no no no.

Guess what…there WILL be a yes in there sometimes. The more noes you get…the more yeses will follow.

So “just do it”…make the calls, take the noes. It’s not about you most of the time, so don’t take it personally.

Leave work at work – It is VITAL that you have a good work/life balance and that you leave work at work. Don’t carry all of the noes home with you. Home is where, hopefully, the yeses come out to play much more than the noes.

Go home, have fun. Forget about that presentation or why you may have lost it. If you do all you are supposed to do to serve the customer and they still say no, it’s not your problem anymore. Don’t brood over it. Don’t air it out too often at home.

I know that sometimes it is important to vent to someone we trust. I do it from time to time with my wife or a parent or friend…but try to keep it minimal at home. A better solution is to find an outlet at work…someone you trust…to blow off steam with. Whine, moan, and complain until you’re blue in the face at work (behind closed doors and only with a close confidant), but keep it minimal at home. Your family with thank you, and you’ll enjoy life much more.

Leave it at work as much as possible. It will be there tomorrow. Tonight, enjoy this wonderful life we’ve been blessed with.

Make sure you have a hobby you enjoy. Spend time with people you love. Enjoy your time off. You should be working to live, not living to work.

Yield to the inevitable – There is no magic method of learning to deal with rejection. It’s just going to happen, and you have to deal with it.

It’s inevitable, and you must yield to it. If you don’t, it will break you. Iron is strong, but it will break if you bend it too far. Steel has the same strength, yet it will yield and bend under stress…and not break.

Rejection hurts, but if you don’t bend a bit and learn to take it, you will break. If every “no” is personal, you won’t be able to live with sales for very long…not if you want to sell enough to really thrive.

It’s okay. There will be more to sell tomorrow. Yield to the inevitable, and come back stronger next time.

Talk to you tomorrow. (Yep, on a Saturday. This sales stuff is too important to your success, so I will have a post for you tomorrow and Sunday.)

I really do love reading and responding to your questions and comments, so please post ‘em here on the blog.

Kick butt, make mucho “DEE-nero!”

~Dave Dee

P.S.”Give 15 Minutes A Week And You Will Double Your Sales…Even If You Are Deathly Afraid Of Or Even
Hate The Idea Of Selling” – I’m not kidding, and I am putting my money where my mouth is with an outrageous guarantee. Check it out now  by clicking here.