You Should Love the Word “No”

Do you know that you are supposed to be in love with the word “no”? So, do you? All the salespeople we coach love the word “yes”.  But very few salespeople see any value in, or have any appreciation of, the word “no”.  Why, you ask?  Because their belief system does not include the belief that a “no” is an acceptable outcome.

Rejection is always going to be a part of the equation for a salesperson – that should not be any great surprise.  But just like the group Chicago’s hit song “Baby What a Big Surprise”, salespeople tend to get shocked when they hear the word “no”.  But why?  Afterall, you do realize that most of the prospects you meet with are not going to work with you…don’t you?  The last time I pulled our numbers at Anthony Cole Training Group, I calculated that only about 20% of our first-time prospect calls turn into new client relationships.  So, what happened to the other 80%?  They were:

• Not dealing with a problem that they had to solve
• Dealing with other problems that were more important
• Without an approved budget (code for no money)
• Already working with or talking with someone they loved more than us to help them solve their problems

Here is the deal.  Unless you are a man driving the car on a family vacation, when do you want to know that you are lost?  Hopefully your answer is “right away”.  And if you are a salesperson pursuing an opportunity, when do you want to know that you have no chance?  Hopefully your answer is the same.

Remember – it is not a sin to lose a sale.  But it should be a sin to lose a sale late for a reason you should have known about earlier.  Hearing the word “no” can often be just what you need to hear (I did not say just what you want to hear).  It will help you save your time.  Some rabbits are just too fast for you to catch. In fact, tell your prospects when you book the call that at the end of your call that they can tell you “no”.  Two things will happen:

1. You will lower their resistance
2. You will book more meetings

There you have it.  Now you are in the “No”.

From Sales Development Expert, Mark Trinkle