Dealing with Call Reluctance Part 3 – “No’s” They aren’t always a bad thing

In reviewing our case study of Tom, he is outgoing with an engaging personality, relates well to people, and presents the persona of what a salesperson should be in the eyes of many.  What we found most interesting is that many times Tom would go through an attitudinal change when he was in a selling scenario, primarily in the prospecting phase.  We discovered that Tom had a negative view of salespeople, even though he was in the profession.  This view affected his ability to communicate when he donned his “sales hat.” He did not realize that his negative attitude was having an effect on his ability to create lead generation by his reluctance to use the phone or to interface with a potential prospect.  Simply said, he couldn’t handle the rejection that stems from the “no” that is so very much a part of the selling arena.

            He really liked the service he represented and believed that it could solve other people’s problems but his own negative connotation of salespeople made it difficult for him to reach out in the prospecting phase and create new opportunities.  He was, in essence, afraid of the rejection even though he knew what he was selling had all the componets of a problem solving service.  To help him overcome this fear we had to introduce and teach Tom the concept of a “good no.”  Once we got him to understand and realize that not every "no" is necessarily bad, and should be viewed as a learning experience, we were able to change the view in which he saw the sales arena.  He had begun the transition from salesperson to problem solver. When he took off the “sales hat” and began the process of seeking out situations in which he could affect potential clients in a positive way he was then able to make some dramatic changes.  The phone became his friend, and afforded him the opportunity to get in front of those that were struggling with issues that he knew he could solve. More importantly, he became a different person in the selling scenario by conducting interviews that helped him to discover if he could be of help.

He was no longer plagued by a situation in which he was affected by call reluctance because now he could see and understand that his service may not be a great fit for every person but instead could build from these “good no’s” and have more confidence in generating new opportunities. This change did not and will not occur overnight.  Through continued positive reinforcement these changes were able to sink in and helped Tom to view sales through a new lens and have much greater success than he had previously experienced.

           

Next week we will wrap up the story of Tom and call reluctance, by further discussing “good no’s” and the four situations that occur at the end of any selling situation.