ing the no in the rejection bin, consider that some rebuffs are indicative of
the struggle to change and invite persistence until the client is duly accli-
mated to the idea.
LANGUAGE THAT FITS YOU
Will described to me the difficulty he was having with the close his com-
pany told him to use. I asked him to use the close with me as if I was a po-
tential client. I couldn’t help but notice the discomfort in his eyes and body
language as he asked me to “get started.” His words were aggressively mov-
ing forward and his body language was backing up in apology for the ag-
gressive words. I told him he didn’t look or sound convincing with the close,
and he admitted he wasn’t. The baseline problem was that his personality
(Togetherness) is not aggressive by nature. He wants to make sure the
other person feels comfortable before moving forward. We worked on script-
ing a close that was synchronous with his personality—he positioned him-
self as a partner and teammate with the client. When he used this approach,
he felt no emotional awkwardness, and, consequently, expressed no apol-
ogy in his eyes.
Each personality style can succeed in sales only so long as his or her
natural temperament matches:
- The product/services being sold
- The method in which the product is sold (e.g., cold calling vs. fol-
lowing up on inquiries) - The script the company prescribes
Operating outside of these comfort zones will only increase the fear of
rejection.
A PRODUCT OF NATURE
I often have been amazed at the number of people who enter sales ca-
reers without making an honest assessment of their own resilience levels. A
fellow approached me after a speech and said, “I can’t stand when people
don’t like me. Consequently, I tell them what they want to hear and over-
promise, and they end up not liking me because of it.” Another sales profes-
sional told me, “I went into sales because I wanted to make more money, but
I’m a perfectionist and I hate getting rejected. I honestly prefer working by
myself. My wife, on the other hand, makes huge money in sales, because she
Risking Rejection / Getting Past No 141