OMG! I just lost a sale! What will happen to me? How do I explain it to my boss? I feel terrible. I thought I did my best but still no deal! Be mentally tough.
Mentally Tough Sales People Take A Punch And Bounce Right Back
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It’s Not Personal
Don Miguel Ruiz in his book The Four Agreements suggests we shouldn’t take anything personally. This recommendation is particularly important to successful sales people. Sales people need to be mentally tough. Rejection is part of life in selling.
Don’t Let The Losses Get You Down
One of my early mentors in sales put it a little more colorfully but the sentiment is the same. Yes we need to evaluate why we lost the sale. Make a plan to insure those mistakes are not made again. But we can’t do that if we are all tied up in regret. You lost this one; now let’s be mentally tough and move on with renewed determination.
Sometimes It’s Not Your Fault
Some years ago my company had won a large order for a new pharmaceutical plant being built. Before we could deliver our work, the owner canceled the project. We did get paid for the work we had completed but the big payoff and commission didn’t come. Nothing I could have done about that one. Having become mentally tough, I took this in stride and went looking for the next order.
Sometimes it Is
When I was young and still learning my trade, I had been working with a safety manager at a large paper mill to become a preferred supplier. He needed five air blowers for confined space. He had a proposal from his current supplier and allowed me to make an offer. I negotiated a quantity discount from the manufacturer and had the lower price. When I asked for the order, he said: “Check with purchasing. I sent the requisition to them.” I did and the buyer said: “Oh, I offered our current vendor the opportunity to match your price and they did.” I was dumbfounded! By not dealing with the buyer, I lost the sale even though I had the better offer! Hard lesson to learn. But I quickly recovered being mentally tough; not taking it personally.
You are a 10
The champion sales people think of themselves a 10. This gives them the mental toughness to overcome the defeats in life. They know the loss wasn’t personal. Champions get back into the hunt looking for the next order. Mentally tough sales people don’t confuse who they are with what they do.
To learn more sales secrets see Chapter Six, Characteristics of Successful Sales People, in Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. For even more sales help, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.
Good selling!
Don Crawford
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