How to Handle Rejection in Cold-Calling

Although b to b telemarketing is a lot less negative than b to c telemarketing it still takes a thick skin to handle the rejection that can occur when making cold calls.  Even when making follow up calls (warm calls) rejection occurs and can be just as harsh.  This article below is very good and reiterates many points that are in our e-book Cold Calling for the Clueless.

In sales, one could argue that you get more knock-backs than most. Coupled with inevitable objections that you need to handle, this makes most sales jobs quite demanding to say the least. And, within sales, cold-callers tend to get more kicks in the teeth than most.

So, what’s the secret? How do you deal with rejection? Below are our 10 tips for how to handle rejection in cold calling.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare

We don’t mean prepare for rejection, although that’s important too. What we mean here is that the more prepared you are for the call the better. That means market and sector knowledge. It means understanding the challenges that your product or service solves. Cold callers need to understand what floats the boat of prospective customers. The more you understand this, the better it will be.

2. Remember it’s about the customer not you

Much rejection is down to the person not the proposition. What we mean by that is that the salesperson is primarily interested in selling. Customers want to feel you’re interested in them. If you talk and pitch at them you’ll come across as self-centred and as a typical cold-caller. Break the cycle and you’re less likely to hear the phone being slammed down.

3. Build rapport

Communication is key. Listening is crucial. So is asking good questions that stop you talking and demonstrate interest. The more you build rapport, the less likely you’ll get a flat No.

4. Work out your intro

We all know that first impressions count. The better your opening gambit, the less you’ll pave the way for rejection. Plan what you want to say but use natural language (not sales-speak) and ensure it’s short, engaging and compelling. If you get the ear of the prospect early on, even if they aren’t ultimately interested now, you’ll at least keep the door open for future opportunities with the prospect.

5. Work on your attitude

We’ve come across callers that immediately go into offensive mode when confronted with objections and possible rejection. The skill is to remain calm, recognise it’s rarely personal, ask yourself what you contributed to the rejection (poor into, weak tone of voice…) and ask good questions (if allowed) to establish why what you’re offering isn’t of interest. The expression ‘water off a duck’s back’ is partly true here. Yes, you should be able to move on and don’t let it get you down. Equally, you shouldn’t display an arrogant or uncaring attitude. Your attitude should be positive at all times. After all, you represent your company brand and may want to do business with this prospect in the future.

6. Get some armour

If you struggle with rejection, you may be in the wrong game. You will often be up against strong competitors and you can’t win them all. So, whilst remaining upbeat, you must have a sufficiently robust disposition to dust yourself off and go again. After all, the next prospect doesn’t know that the previous one rejected you. You need enough no’s in selling to get to the next yes. We often say that you’ll never get success with someone you don’t call!

7. Know your ratios

Sales is partly a numbers game and it’s likely, in most sales scenarios, that you will lose more than you win. Understand your ratios and how many calls it takes to make a sale. The more you know your numbers, the less you’ll focus on individual cases. Of course, you need to give maximum effort to each call. But, if you know what it takes to generate an opportunity, you’ll focus more on what it takes to get results rather than becoming stuck in a negative cycle after negative calls.

8. Use positive self talk

I once read a terrific book called ‘What to say when you talk to yourself’’ It explains how negative thinking can create a spiral. It can affect your whole body and, conversely, positive self-talk can create stunning results even in adversity. Sales is a results business and, like anything, it’s garbage in: garbage out. If you feed your brain negative, it affects your approach, your tone, your language and how you come across. So, practise positive self-talk (especially after rejection) and you’ll experience less rejection in the first place.

9. Expect success

Similar to the above, if you believe you can, you will. If you think you can’t you most probably won’t. Typically, the best sales people are upbeat. The believe they’re great, their products are great and the prospect needs what they offer. They expect to pulverise targets and don’t let anything stand in their way. They put in the man hours. They go above and beyond. A good expression that is very true in cold-calling terms is ‘behavior breed behavior’. If you act like a winner, you’ll attract success to you.

10. If all else fails, find a mentor (or find another profession!)

Few people are up all of the time and some of the more outgoing personalities hide doubts behind a mask. So, if you’re genuinely having a bad day or a bad run, find someone that can help. It could be your boss. It could be a colleague. It could be someone outside of the office. Ultimately, you need someone that will listen, ask the right questions and encourage you with their positivity. Don’t get caught in a negative whirlpool by associating with other people in the same downward spiral. That will compound the problem, Get yourself in front of someone that believes in you and makes you feel better about yourself.

Sales is a people business and people buy people. Therefore, if you can maintain your positive attitude and apply the principles we’ve discussed in this blog, not only will you be better placed to handle rejection, you’ll experience less rejection in the first place.

How to Handle Rejection in Cold-Calling