Accept and Celebrate the NO

Accepting a NO is something I had to learn firsthand. In my early days of sales, I used to be disappointed when I heard a NO, and many times tried to convince the other person that they should listen to me.

Eventually I came to understand that I should have celebrated each NO — because it’s a numbers game. I also came to understand exactly who my customers were, and how to work smart rather than just working hard.

When I say it’s a numbers game, I mean this: I learned that I generally would close no more than 10 sales for every 100 people I spoke with — assuming I was in the right place, selling the right product, for the right group of people. Over time, I came to see that this was true for others as well.

My attitude shifted to celebrating each NO, accepting it and moving on. I started keeping track, and came to see that by the time I spoke with ten or so prospects, one would become a customer. Don’t take my numbers as any standard in regards to your business. Sometimes it was 50.

The point is, my sales began to rise. Day by day I started moving my goals one item per day. The first few days I sold three, the next three days I thought, “Let’s go for four.”

For the most part, by the time I hit a hundred interactions, I had the three to five sales I needed to keep moving forward. I needed them for one reason: To believe that it could be done, and that there were people who wanted my product or service.

Once I changed my attitude and began celebrating the NOs, I was able to do a much better job of managing my time, and making sure my energy was focused on getting to the next YES. I learned to honor the NO with a Thank You, then spending time reaching more people. That, in turn, allowed me to achieve more sales.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. How willing are you to accept and celebrate a NO?

2. What have you done to stay positive when you hear NO?

3. What other tools have you used to keep moving forward?