Learn to Handle Rejection and Sales Objections Well

Rejection is part of life and definitely one of the things you need to learn to overcome if you are to succeed in Sales.  It is one of the things a good salesman or woman learns to handle well, but on an “off day” it can affect anybody, no matter how much of a super-star one thinks one is.  Why?  Because words, contrary to the popular saying, do have the power to harm. In fact, the Bible goes further and says they carry the power of life or death. We can, by our words, either kill what someone is trying to do or we can empower what someone is trying to do.  Most people just say what comes off the tip of their tongue and then blame others for the ensuing problems.

If we are in sales we deal with people.  People can reject what we have to offer, even reject us;sometimes you may feel like a punchbag as they offload their frustrations. The frustrations may be nothing to do with you but be what they feel for the company, the product, or even some unrelated problem,so it is important that we realize our own mission and value and that those things are more important than the product or the sale we are trying to make.

The other day I had what I thought was a confirmed appointment to close a sale.  I go through at least a four-part process to actually close a sale, before I know I will actually get paid for my efforts.  (As many salesmen will testify, agreement with a customer does not always result in a sale if other decision makers are involved).  I sell medical devices, amongst other things.  I am also engaged in marketing products via an internet marketing affiliate program , which is covered in more detail in my main site on “Healing, Health and Wealth” .  But, for the present, I am engaged in direct sales to homeowners.

This particular customer agreed to me -in principle-trying to get her one of said devices but she was pessimistic the doctor would agree to it, because of a prior situation she had had with him.

The main steps in the sales process (and many direct sales companies probably have a similar format) are usually:

1)to initially make contact with prospects (these have to be qualified).  This I usually do myself, as I have no leads given to me by my company as a rule

2) I then need to make an appointment to see those I have prospected and given the company sales pitch to

3) I then need to further qualify them for the all-important free-funding subsidy for the elderly. At this stage it is usually obvious if they are really interested in the product-but some people do not know what they want at any given time and will default to “yes” when asked if they want to follow a certain course of action. Salesmen will know what I mean. They are the worst type of customer, and cause no end of trouble

4) I then need to obtain the certificate from the Medical Establishment-without this, no funding help

5) if this is given, it further solidifies the sale and usually means that the installation of the device is a foregone conclusion

6)I then install the device and am usually thanked for going to all the trouble as in reality most of my customers will obtain funding in paying for that-if I qualified them well in the first place

The customer is always wrong

I had got as far as the 5th step, and had booked the appointment over the phone.  The lady had a few questions but did not say at any time she did not want me to proceed.  When I got to the door-I actually had not been feeling well for a while-it soon became obvious this would be “one of those days”. Instead of being welcomed, I was met with a stone-faced harridan who was obviously not happy.  She told me she had received a call fom our medical monitoring company that morning to see if her device was installed ok.  Because the device hadn’t even been installed (obviously a communication breakdown on the admin. side of the third-party monitoring service provider to our company. Someone had written the time of install wrong) ,she now said she would have nothing to do with me or my company and she referred to us a “mickey mouse outfit“. I could feel my blood pressure rising as I explained I had gone to the trouble to get her the device, had paid for the Medical certificate (a practice my company uniquely follows, as we try to help hard-up customers) but the woman would not budge and showed me the door.

I felt depressed when I left (no doubt amplified by whatever virus I was fighting off).  If you are in sales you may see this as pretty normal. Some salesmen would probably barely stop to catch their breath before the next sale. Some salesmen appear to be like automatons with Colgate grins, and recite whatever mantra they learned at their sales seminar, and plough on regardless. But as I said in a previous post I am not a natural Salesman, and have to work hard at it.  I do get discouraged.  If you are one of these kind of salespersons, and you have done everything you know to do, then relax-let me give you some encouragement.  You’ll hear a piece of advice you never get from your Sales Manager.  It is this: your customers do not know you.  They are not privy to your thoughts, your previous experience or have any knowledge of your motivation.  Therefore if they “go ballistic” and have a go at you, what they say is bound to be purely based on their present inconvenenience-what they did not get from you.  Therefore in a situation like that-as I say this depends if you have honestly done your job to your best-you can say to yourself without batting an eyelid:  ”The customer (who just unloaded that frustration on me) is always wrong(about that character attack/slander/observation etc) .  Next please!”. This may sound corny, but what you are doing is protecting a vital piece if real estate:your self esteem and your view of yourself. The world, the devil and your own crazy thoughts need to be stopped in their tracks. How? By words you say. Not to the customer-to whom you should always be respectful-but to yourself.

Finish the day well

As I left the house I was obviously upset by losing the sale, but I realised I had a choice.  I could either dwell on her words – “sub-standard”; “Mickey-mouse” and start to take these criticisms on myself-which in turn would affect my image of myself and therefore my performance in the coming days OR I could let it wash off  my back and go for the next appointment, reminding myself I was not responsible for the hiccup in the sales process that had occurred, and that I was still going to get my targets for the week.  The customer was wrong!  I spoke it out loud to myself and that was that.

I then decided to ring through to see if the certificate for the next customer had been completed.  I had no motivation to see anyone but I was determined to end the day well. This next customer I did not expect to be approved, to be honest.  The person barely qualified for the medical device.  But their age counted in their favor.  So when I rang up I was very pleasantly surprised to hear they had been approved. Within two hours I had installed the device (=sale made) with this prospect whom I had not been planning on seeing, and had a very good reception from the customer who even promised to give me some referrrals!

I wonder if my day would have ended in this way if I had paid attention to the customer and gone home depressed and full of self-doubt!  If you, like me, are not a “sales machine”, occasionally get down from rejections and need some good resources, have a look below. The first product is good for standard responses to sales objections but should be used for reference and not in a mechanical way. You need to know when “No” is “no” and don’t feel you have to succeed at convincing everybody. That’s the other extreme-no-one likes a pushy salesperson!

John Reason,
Salesman, teacher, Article writer, Internet Marketer.
© 2010
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Christmas Greetings to our readers

This is a summary of parts 2 and 3 of the article entitled “What is the “Why” of your business?”, as discussed more fully in johnreason.com

Preparation and Positioning in your internet work from home business or other business

Whether you are involved in an internet work from home business like I have been, a Christian home based business, a franchise business, a direct sales business (again, like I have done for the last few years)-or any business-preparation and positioning of the single greatest asset-that is, you (+ your skills)-is vitally important for your future business success. So said  Pastor Neil Smith from Planetshakers Church in Australia at the business breakfast hosted in 2009 by Arise Church, and recorded here from notes taken.

• If you are in a job practise (your skills) so that when the appointed time comes, you are ready with everything you need. Calling is insufficient. You need to commit to it. Are you committed to developing the skills you have been uniquely given? (not “are you committed to the job?”).
• If you’re PREPARED and POSITIONED then you can expect opportunities to come to you.

• Familiarity breeds contempt, so don’t despise having to go over and over again your current knowledge base and practising your skills. Prepare for your Calling even if it does not look like it’s happening.

Building a business that works.

Work ON your business not IN your business

Knowing how to build a business is different to building a business that works.

• A business creator or founding entrepreneur must be working “ON” the business not engrossed IN the business. Those “presiding over” should have eyes to see where the business is going.  Example: Two people may buy a franchise business. A technician will build the business around his personality i.e in a technical way. He may struggle to win customers.  Five miles down the road another man in the same franchise may be pulling in the crowds. Why? Because he has a personality that attracts customers. Franchise owners are often just “buying a job”. It’s important to have the skill-set that is required.”

• This, I found, had application to my internet work form home business and the internet marketing affiliate program that I have followed from its beta-tester stage. It is possible to be so engrossed  IN learning about affiliate marketing, and the technical side, that you fail to build your business by e.g developing customer-friendly sites or write enough articles.  Sean Rasmussen says “Don’t focus so much on the technical side (such as HTML) but rather on writing content that is interesting to read”. Rider: but in businesses that require technical input such as an  internet work from home business, obviously some technical knowledge or assistance will be required before you can think of growing your business. The forum I have been a member of this last year is to be recommended , both for the level of information provided, but also the speed at which questions are resolved by the team of internet marketing tech helpers.

An entrepreneur vs a job-owner

• An entrepreneur, Pastor Smith continued, builds an enterprise that releases them. He puts his business in the hands of managers. Build great resource if you want to have a “ministry of business”

• believe that you will create more influence

• believe that you will create more jobs.

• You should not be doing long-term what someone else can do

• Let go of things so that you can focus on what God’s called you to do. “If I and someone else can do this job, one of us is redundant“

• Focus on what you should be doing, not on what you can do.

Faithfulness in your business leads to increase

c.f Matthew 25:14-21, the Bible

If the above scripture, one learns that the five-talent and two-talent person traded and doubled their money, whilst the one-talent person went and buried theirs. The first two were commended by their Lord and were promoted and the last not only is rebuked but actually has his talent removed from him. FAITHFULNESS leads to INCREASE. The attitude of faithfulness could be displayed to your employees, your business colleagues or your business itself.

• The attitude of maintaining only what you’ve got, or of just turning up to work does not.

e.g Article in the NZ Herald (2009) states that the “self-reliant” Kiwi attitude, apparently, is holding Kiwi businesses from doing well on the world stage.  The report, “Playing to our Strengths: Creating value for Kiwi firms” by economic researcher Tony Smale states:

• Some of the national characteristics that make Kiwis great, also stop them from achieving significant international economic success.

• While English is an international language, New Zealanders are just not fluent in the dialect of business.

• They’re friendly enough but are not perceived as having the smarts or the sophistication to do business internationally.

• Kiwis can be very passionate about their “baby”,but sometimes seem “abrupt”.

• They can be unsophisticated in their business attitudes: they are awkward with concepts such as mixing business and pleasure. Kiwis (probably much like Aussies) don’t like to “beat around the bush” – even though in many cultures relationship-building is key to a successful business partnership. In fact, the report says, Kiwis ” usually don’t even want business partners – but we want everyone to love our products and want to buy them.”

• New Zealanders have reasonably simple aspirations, known colloquially as the ” three B’s”: the bach (a type of holiday flat), the boat and the BMW. When a Kiwi business owner has achieved these, or whatever luxuries are considered prestigious within their peer group, they will often fall back into the state of “enoughism”. i.e they will not think of expanding any further.

The report also said that Kiwi businesses are not great at investing in the skills of their work force; that’s probably understandable if the above mindset prevails.

Increasing what you have is faithfulness

• So Neil Smith would say that Increasing what you have is faithfulness;burying one’s talents after one has achieved one’s own narrow goals, is not a recipe for future business success and does not help the wider economy

Conclusion:

• We should go to work ON our business, and not get lost in the mechanics of being IN the business.

• Practice makes perfect. The opportunities WILL come to you if you are PREPARED and POSITIONED.

• Have the ability to change tack and switch if necessary;

• Invest in your business and in others. Increase is good!

Have a most relaxing Christmas and holiday season!

John Reason,
Salesman, Article Writer, Internet Marketer.
© 2009-2010

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An illuminating Business Breakfast

The following is a summary of the post with the same title found in my site johnreason.com. It is based on notes that I took at a Business breakfast hosted by Arise Church in Christchurch, New Zealand this year (2009). The speaker was pastor Neil Smith from Planetshakers Church in Melbourne, Australia. His teaching was very illuminating and I thought could bear a wider audience so am sharing the high points here with this blog’s readers.

The message was directed to Christians, but I believe that you will find something useful here even if you are a person of another faith or no faith. Whether you work for somebody or work from home, ideas are important in advancing your business, whether your business is to sell you skills to a boss (i.e you are an employee (see how Robert Kiyosaki differentiates employees from three other main work quadrants), or you have an online home business or internet marketing affiliate program such as I follow, or a Christian home based business or have bought some sort of franchise in your quest to break out of the rat race.

Here follows a summary of the first part of the message:

Why are you in Business?

• When you go to work you don’t just “go to work” (as though it was something separate from your Calling).

• You go to do what God has called you to do. Christian business people are not just here to “resource the Kingdom”{i.e pay tithes and offerings to their churches}.
• Ask the question: WHY are you in business? A good book to read on this is “The E-Myth Revisited: why most Small Businesses don’t work and What to do about it” by Michael Gerber . It is a technical business book which asks the question just posed.

Business is about creating

Creativity in business

Business is in essence about creating. A by-product is that you prosper.

• Seriously wealthy people look for creative ideas, and don’t {in their private social time}talk about money.

• One creative idea can make all the difference to your business.

Pastor Smith gave the example of a businessman he knows in a certain Asian city who had one creative idea about the marshy real estate in a certain Asian city’s harbour entrance. He noticed none of the big ships entered a particular harbor entrance and on enquiring into it a bit  further was told that the waterway was too shallow and needed to be dredged.  The businessman also noticed the many acres of swampy land sitting idle in the area contiguous to the waterway.  He offered to dredge the waterway for nothing if he could have the swamp land, which the city authorities gladly agreed to.  Later on this “useless” land acquired for the price of dredging the canal became very valuable and he made many millions from it.

Creativity comes from God

What was this man’s “wealth creation strategy”?

• Every Monday he fasts and prays-he does not “go to work”

• on Tuesday he and his team of business associates pray through what he felt God says to him on the previous day.
• Then they have a meeting.
• They have recognized that creativity comes from God.  And they have recognized that creativity comes from WHO you are (your “Being”) rather than how BUSY you are (your “doing”).
• In the business community today many people suffer from some kind of mental problem because of stress.
  
• Stopping doing what you are doing and taking time out to re-evaluate (in this case pray through) your goals is healthy
  

We need to recognize as business people that we are conduits delivering a concept to someone else. The truth of “Calling” is knowing what is in you -and letting it flow out of you.

These notes will be continued in a future post. You are always welcome to leave comments or suggestions, and consider bookmarking it.

Have a great day!

John Reason,
Salesman, teacher, Article Writer, Internet Marketer.
© 2009-2010

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or for U.K or European readers click here.
Australasian readers click here

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As I discussed in my last post it was my dentist who was a primary catalyst in getting me involved with affiliate marketing. His fees for his projected course of treatment on both my son and I were somewhere between ludicrous and extraterrestrial. What was worrying was that my dentist, whilst filling my mouth with dental plasticine, found my reactions amusing but never evinced anything other than complete seriousness about the price of his suggested treatment.

My dentist is from India, and despite my jibes, we have actually become friends since his first forays into my mouth uncovered a world of botched, amateur dentistry and unprofessionally-finished fillings by a succession of mediocre British and Kiwi dentists. He has a habit of singing half-in-tune with his soothing background pop music, as he uncovers one job after another requiring great future expense. I am beginning to think he is involved in some kind of Indian hypnotism because the net result is that I walk out in a daze and pay the huge bill that awaits.

But I have been postponing work that needs doing of late, because of the cost. His prognosis however on my son was harder to ignore since he did increasingly look like son-of- Dracula with one half-emerging fang, currently hidden by an upper lip, looking like it wanted to project at 45 degrees from his upper gum! So I am asking myself, as Robert Kiyosaki often advises, “how can I afford to pay for this?” rather than dismissing it as unaffordable. One way, I have concluded, is by implementing Affiliate marketing and SEO strategies.

My problem with Internet marketing up to now has been the mediocre products I have seen and the exorbitant charges that go with them. As a member of the Web2020 Internet marketing forum that Sean Rasmussen has initiated (which you can actually get a free introductory look at), I have found that the costs (so far) are manageable and one gets a LOT of information in return. In comprehensible, non-jargon-filled English too, which helps.

The Year of the Affiliate ebook is for those who need knowledge on the subject of affiliate and internet marketing but don’t want to spend an arm-and-a-leg to get it, and don’t (like me) want to meet a wall of jargon;how to get started;and how to implement the strategies that work. It is well worth getting. As Sean Rasmussen the author says:

Focus your time and efforts on the strategies giving the greatest returns. More than that The Year of the Affiliate and my private member’s forum also reveals other tested and proven strategies virtually guaranteed to give you the best returns on your efforts. This is especially important if you are just starting out and you’ve got information overload.
Avoid common pitfalls and costly mistakes when starting a new money making internet business. The journey ahead is full of potential problems that can literally stop you from succeeding. I’ve already walked through the minefield for you to safely follow my footstep

As he states “owning your own copy of Year of The Affiliate is like having a map to get from Point A to Point B.” I needed the map. The Internet is like a huge minefield, especially if are not computer-savvy, like me. The e-book and the forum will actually walk you through how to set up websites, web positioning and the correct, unspammy way to use free Social media sites like Squidoo to make money. You do not need to have a website, although I have found it is actually important to have a self-hosted website to avoid the pettier Terms and Conditions of other sites which you do have to abide by. You also learn how to avoid being labeled a “Spammer”. There is nothing worse than getting unsolicited viral emails!

With the help of Sean, the team of “Zodiacs” and a friend,I have actually been able to set up four different websites, having had no prior knowledge internet marketing or web design! I am still in the throes of learning, and will keep you posted.

Have a great day!

John Reason,
Brit currently living in New Zealand.
Salesman, teacher, article writer, Internet Marketer.
© 2009
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Click on the image to check out the Year of the affiliate e-book!

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Getting started

Really, apart from the weather factor I mentioned in my last post, and the realization that there had to be a better way to market products, the main  person I blame for getting involved with Internet marketing was my dentist, Colin.  He had just quoted me some horrendous figure for fixing my teeth, and I asked him why it was that dentists and orthodontists charge so much.  He promptly filled my mouth with something that tasted like plasticine (preventing me from speaking any further) and ,whilst I was busy choking on his plasticine, proceeded to explain how dentists have to study 12+ years, followed by an obligatory 40 hours extra study a year to keep abreast of the latest developments in dentistry. I think what he was trying to say was: we were basically paying for their experience.

My dentist: the trigger that pushed me into Internet Marketing

After removing the plasticine, I asked how they could still justify their fees when, in effect, they were dealing with a small area (the mouth) and that it was “hardly as difficult as heart surgery”.  Colin waved a hand and chortled, instructing me to wash my mouth out, dismissing my complaints like a benign schoolteacher reprimanding a facetious schoolboy.  I realized I was going to get nowhere and that I had to find a way to support my dentist’s past college fees. I was reminded to ask myself what Robert Kiyosaki advises to ask in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad: not whether I could afford it, but HOW.

“Year of the Affiliate” Beta-tester forum.

And so-cut to the Year of the Affiliate Beta-tester forum.  I joined Sean Rasmussen’s Year of the Affiliate (“YOTA”) Forum in July.  It had a reasonable price, I thought at the time, and I could always cancel if I wished and it had a money-back guarantee.  So I thought – I had not much too lose.  I introduced myself to the members and the “Zodiacs”, Sean Rasmussen’s techie helpers who would be helping to answer questions from forum members.  I liked the fact that Sean was easy to understand in his web tutorials and the Zodiacs were very quick in answering any questions posted.  They also, despite the theme, did not dispense astrological advice, because that’s not why I joined and have no interest in that subject!

I thought it noteworthy Sean also said that becoming successful in Internet Marketing would require hard work, and was no quick route to riches.  He himself has sold over $7 million online, so obviously knows what he is taking about.  So the two pluses I got immediately were:

• an honestly presented, not-over-hyped  program-unlike most internet marketing affiliate programs
• it is much more AFFORDABLE than most comparable programs
• Forum helpers (“Zodiacs”) who were able to answer my questions in an unpatronizing, efficient, non-jargon-filled way

The other thing I liked was that the “Year Of The Affiliate”, e-book by Sean Rasmussen was easy to read and again-not crammed with jargon (important for Search engine optimization dummies like myself!).  You also got continual video downloads to go along with the e-book which are, again, clear and easy to follow.  For example, how to use Google Reader for S.E.O purposes.

• the downside (if there is one) I can say after two months is simply the huge amount of info you have to absorb if you are a complete novice, like me.  But-you do get help!

YOTA eBOOK

The book describes the opportunities to use the big Affiliate Marketing sites like Clickbank, Commission Junction and Amazon.  These sites allow one as a budding or experienced Affiliate Marketer to promote or advertise the products on one’s own website and get paid commission if any are sold by their links. The e-book also explains how to protect your affiliate link so you can get the commission without a customer just going straight to the website of the product, missing your link out- I will explain a bit more about this in my next post, along with answering one of the first questions I had , which was “But I don’t have a website”.

"Year of the Affiliate"

Suffice it to say I saw that there was a great potential to answer my limited sales options in marketing products by learning how to implement Affiliate marketing and S.E.O strategies . If you wish to dip your toes in this exciting field, there is no better place to start than here
Click on the image to check out the Year of the affiliate e-book!

John Reason,
Brit currently living in New Zealand.
Salesman, teacher, article writer, Internet Marketer.
© 2010-11
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