Positive Realism

What do you do when a bad day stretches into a bad week, which somehow ends up being a bad month? You know how it is – every prospect you call on says no or puts you off. Even customers who gave you verbal agreements are changing their minds. Pessimism and dejection take over. Are you losing your skill? Should you seriously consider changing careers?

Larry Doubt, account manager for Allen Foods in St. Louis, MO, and Jeff Engler, director of new business for Agri-Dairy Products in Ada, MI, have both experienced this type of discouragement. Nevertheless, they have found the means to come back – and still stay in sales. What’s their secret? They recommend three strategies: put things in perspective, get advice and support, and motivate yourself to get going again with a positive attitude.

Engler uses the law of thirds as a guideline. “Remember that one-third of your prospects will buy from you, no matter what,” he explains. “Another third will never buy from you, even if you are the best salesperson in the world. The final third may or may not buy from you, and it is only this last group that your selling skills have any potential for influencing.”

For example, if you contact 30 prospects in a week and all of them are in the group that will never buy from you, it’s easy to become discouraged. However, next week you may encounter 15 prospects who will say maybe or yes to you – even though you have done nothing differently. Simply remember the three groups and realize that rejections are inevitable.

Engler’s reps classify each customer into one of his three groups, based on the initial telephone conversation. “If prospects are willing to see us and hear our quoted price, they may be in the middle group,” he says. “But if they always buy from their brother’s company, we’ll never win their business.”

Not all customers, or industries, are created equal. Doubt suggests finding out the average number of calls required to close a prospect in a particular field. “In my industry, five calls are usually required,” he notes. “If it takes five calls to close most customers, and I’ve only made three, why worry? I still have two more calls to make before I even need to get concerned.”

Also, the marketplace has changed in recent years. Doubt says that it is harder to close prospects today than it was 25 years ago when he started out. “Most businesses use just three vendors. I am the only supplier for many of my customers,” he explains. “There’s no way you can win every prospect’s business. So stop beating yourself up for something you can’t control.”

The hardest type of rejection for Engler is when customers who have given a verbal commitment change their minds. His reps try diplomatically to find out the reasons for the change. Usually it’s because of price. Then they try either to compete on the basis of better value for the customer’s money or lower their price. However, the key is not to take these challenges personally.

Furthermore, to help keep things in perspective, don’t let your work be the only focus of your life. Engler recommends striving for a balanced life away from work. Spending time with friends, taking part in support and interest groups and staying in shape keep him from becoming overly depressed during challenging times in his sales career. “Some people I know take time out to go to an afternoon movie to recharge their batteries,” he says. “I call a friend or significant other to chat, remind myself of what is good in my life, and realize I don’t need to define myself by temporary setbacks in my sales career.”

Remind yourself of what you are doing right at work. Doubt asks a manager or other reps whom he respects to come with him on some of his sales calls and suggest ways he can improve. He also carries letters of reference from several current clients, reads them to remind himself of what he is doing right and uses them as references to show potential customers.

Satisfied customers can help in other ways, too. When they hit a slump, Engler and his reps call on existing clients with whom they have good relationships and ask, “Why do you buy from me?” The answers sometimes surprise them. “It may be a good presentation or a great price, but it also may be the color of my clothes or a great smile,” Engler says. Regardless of the reason, Engler says, this type of positive feedback inevitably cheers him and his reps up.

Doubt uses motivational books and tapes to renew his enthusiasm. He also attends monthly sales meetings, where he listens to colleagues discuss their successes.

When he was starting out, Doubt turned to older, more experienced co-workers for guidance and reassurance. Talking with successful reps at his company helped him learn their secrets and increase his success rate.

Both Doubt and Engler emphasize that reps in a slump shouldn’t take rejection personally. Put things in perspective, they advise. Ask for support and suggestions, and realize that every sales career involves a lot of ups and downs.