People unfamiliar with sales techniques usually become depressed by interview rejection and then lose momentum for continuing in their search for employment. From a typical salesperson’s perspective, rejections are not necessarily bad particularly when used as valuable learning lessons. BUT the seasoned sales professional, with a smile on her face, will mentally say, NEXT!
Early in my sales career, I learned that it was necessary to make 100 sales calls in order to make 10 sales. It was not motivating to learn I only had a 10% chance for making a sale. We were then told, the more “No’s” you get, the closer you will be to a “Yes!” The better news was, as practice made perfect, my success statistics would rise significantly – and they did. Hence the motivation to keep on analyzing, tweaking and try, try again.
Rejections provide excellent first-hand lessons. View rejection as your learning opportunity. The mental adjustment in outlook will help tremendously in these regards:
- Recognition of how to improve
- Refinement of what you are truly after
- Enabling a higher salary
Honest introspection will improve your future interviews. Ignoring disappointment, mentally review why someone else was believed to be the better choice. What was said and what was not said? Are you able to tweak your part in the conversation the next time around on the next interview? Is it possible that it wasn’t a great fit after all, and that you will actually be happier elsewhere?
Should you be in the favorable position of having flexibility to be selective yourself, pay attention to all of the factors surrounding you on your next interview and how they compare with the company that turned you down. Is it easier to communicate with the people you are now meeting? Is there interest both ways; you toward the job and they toward your talent? Have you spoken to the receptionist and other staff members? Overall, will you feel comfortable and happy working at this company?
It’s rare that a person will find the perfect job. Likewise, the perfect candidate rarely exists although we each like to think of ourselves as such. Your next career move should for the most part be in alignment with your priorities. Remain true to what holds most importance to you and you will find the better match. In sales we call this the qualified lead.
Persistence is the name of the game. The following story illustrates the points made above. Mid-career, my heart’s desire was set on being able to say, “I sold to that Fortune 100 Company”. The Buyer in charge was quite rude and loved playing games with sales reps without any intention of buying from them. At the six month mark, he took a leave of absence and another buyer came on board who was even worse. By the tenth month, an associate told me she knew the fellow who worked in the basement. I asked for an introduction. At 12 months, due to the friendship established with the fellow in the basement, I celebrated a very large sale!
I learned to never under-estimate anyone, and my personal brand became “Determined.” The learning experience taught me how to more quickly enjoy the Smooth Sale!
Author:
Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC, (800) 704-1499, was honored by Open View Labs with inclusion in their international list of “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012.” Elinor authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and the best selling career book, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press. She provides team sales training, private coaching and highly acclaimed inspirational keynotes for conferences. Elinor is available for consultation.
