How to Build Sales Resilience After a “NO” Answer

Let’s keep it real. Not every prospect will want to buy what you are selling. This is totally normal! It could be for many reasons such as the product or service you are offering isn’t a match for their needs, they don’t have the budget, they don’t understand what you are selling, and most commonly - they just aren’t ready to make a change. Change is hard. Basic psychology teaches us that people avoid change until their pain threshold reaches a point where they can’t ignore their problem any longer. When their problem has bubbled up into an undeniable elephant in the room, an opportunity is presented. But until then, expect a good amount of “no” answers.

In reality, 60% of customers say “no” four times before saying “yes”, and 80% of salespeople drop contact with prospects after the first “no” (Invesp CRO). Think of all the missed opportunities! What really happens in a salesperson’s mind when they hear a “no” answer from a prospect? Here are the top answers received from real salespeople when asked, “after receiving a “no” answer from the prospect, what did you think?”

• “They didn’t like me.”
• “This will never be an opportunity so I will mark it as do not contact in my CRM.”
• “I am not going to waste any more time with this one.”
• “I never say the right thing.”
• “I can’t ever get ahead and I am tired of failing.”

Does this sound familiar? What if there was another way to acknowledge and get past the “no” without lingering in the negativity or feeling like you had to quit your job? Good news, there is, and it’s called sales resilience. By developing sales resilience you are able to detach from the negative feelings that you have created around the “no” and move on and be more productive and a happier person. It’s not so much about actually hearing the “no”, but more about the story that you internalize about yourself once you hear it.

The American Psychological Association reminds us that building resilience is like exercising a muscle. It takes intentional and consistent efforts over time to see personal and professional growth. However, after strengthening your sales resilience muscle you will feel more empowered and successful.

Here are 7 ways you can build your sales resilience muscle and move past the “no”:

1. Detach from the “no”. Remember, the “no” isn’t about you as a person, it is simply a “not now” for what you are offering to that particular person.
2. Desensitize the “no”. Get in the habit of reducing the power of the word to the point of it becoming as uneventful as “please pass the salt”.
3. Believe in yourself and that you are worthy of a “yes” answer. Cultivate your sales confidence.
4. Set micro-goals that you are able to achieve and aren’t reliant on a “yes” answer. This could be as simple as the number of people you will have conversations with on any given day.
5. Learn your sales numbers. How many “no” answers do you typically receive before an “yes”?
6. Don’t keep doing the same thing over and over if it isn’t working. Identify your sales gaps and make changes that will yield different results.
7. Find your support tribe. Do you belong to a community of other salespeople who can help cheer you along and celebrate the wins with you?

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