Sales psychology

Sales psychology is a real thing, especially when it comes to the fear of being rejected.

Over the years sales & marketing have changed drastically. The ‘hard’ sale is a thing of the past, while relationship marketing has taken the forefront.

So how does relationship marketing help you to overcome the fear of rejection in sales?

Quite frankly, it’s a switch in mindset.

Look, I’m a firm believer in positivity, I am statements and manifesting. So when I met Andrea Waltz, the Co-Author of “Go for No” I gotta admit that straight outta the gate, I struggled with the concept. I mean who wants a “no” when the goal is to get a “yes” to our service and or product? Besides, isn’t reaching for a ‘no’ a negative way to pursue being a great salesperson?

You won’t think so when you hear what Andrea has to say, it makes perfect sense!

‘Go For No’ is a #1 best seller on Amazon and in the top 20 of best selling books for 8 years and counting. Andrea is wildly passionate about teaching audiences how they can overcome the fear of failure and rejection in sales, and reprogram how they think about the word ‘no’!

Listen in as she shares that “Yes is the destination, and No is how you get there”

The difference between expecting & accepting

Let’s take a look at meeting with a prospect. After pushing their wares most salespeople will only continue a relationship with a prospect when the answer is yes. Subsequently, when they receive a ‘no,’ they walk away from the meeting discouraged with a feeling of failure. This frustration leads to the fear of rejection and getting another ‘no’. Now, the salesperson is scared of prospecting, which in-turn leads to less people to talk to.

Therefore, in sales the number one challenge for salespeople is not having enough people in their pipeline. So it would make total sense that the number one thing salespeople don’t want to do is prospect. Otherwise they would have a full pipeline.

Let’s face it, no’s are inevitable! Don’t avoid getting a no to protect yourself from rejection, have courage to accept the answer no which could lead you to more yeses!

One of the things I learned from “Go For No” that helped me to make the shift in mindset, is how the pressure is taken off of the result in a sales environment. Assessing the needs and desires of your prospect will give both the salesperson, and the prospect, permission to let go of the results and answer.

Hanging on so tight to our outcome of hitting a quota puts pressure on having to get a ‘yes’ which in-turn the prospect feels pressured into something that isn’t a good fit for them at this moment in time. In sales, changing your mindset from expecting to accepting manifests a positive outcome even if the answer is no.

This is where relationship marketing is so powerful!

Our goal should be to build relationships not #’s. Stay with people long-term. Follow-up from time to time and eventually the prospect that said no the first time will more than likely become a yes.

Focus on the activities

Start with manifesting your goals, then release on it!

Traditional sales is;

  • got to get a yes
  • hard closes
  • needs to happen today

In today’s world, there is so much information on the internet about your service and product, that your prospect has more than likely already done their homework on everything you’re about to share with them. Then again, for this reason relationships in sales has become more and more important.

Focus on the activities that will fill your sales funnel, and get you to your goals such as;

  • meeting with people
  • prospecting
  • sharing your product and service
  • making connections
  • starting relationships and;
  • maintaining relationships

A No doesn’t close a door it opens it

Loosen the grip and go for no. Holding on to the outcome negates the whole purpose of the ‘Go For No’ psychology’…hence, there is no pressure on your prospect and more importantly no desperation coming from you… the salesperson. Also, realize that a ‘no’ doesn’t close a door it keeps a foot in it, as long as you continue following-up and building upon relationships by  staying in touch.

Finally, I’m a big believer in time-blocking. The only way that you get extra things done such as going to the gym etc… is time blocking, otherwise it just doesn’t happen. Same as for anything else, especially sales. So the mindset of going for no makes you eager to time block, and fill your sales pipeline full because you’re no longer fearful of hearing the answer no.

It’s a simple concept, go for no and you’ll find the yeses!

Take care,

Kody B.

p.s. here is the link to the Outbound Conference that Andrea Waltz will be speaking at along with many other speakers, sales trainers and authors.