The biggest challenge for any sales professional, especially real estate agents who are active phone prospectors, is dealing with rejection: NO! I’m not interested! I have an agent! Etc. Etc.Nobody likes rejection, but there is no way to get around in our hyper-competitive industry. The key to dealing with rejection, then, is to embrace it, to see that is actually essential as we seek to build a successful real estate business.We’ve put together eight tips that can help you brush off the NOs, and turn rejection into a motivational tool to drive your success.
- Don’t Take Rejection Seriously. When you prospect for new business, you will encounter rejection. It’s important to keep you head about you, and not take the rejection seriously. Just remind yourself every morning, or before every prospecting call: “Not everybody today will need my service, but I’ll be ready for those who do.” In other words, as part of your affirmation practice, affirm the reality of being a sales professional. Don’t overthink things!
- Know Your Numbers. A good way to confront rejection is by calculating your sales ratio. Have a clear picture of how many NOs you’ll have to get in order to get a solid, positive YES. Turn it into a game.
- Not All Rejection Is the Same. There’s a HUGE difference between a cold call prospect who hangs up on you and the prospect who says the time isn’t right. High-performers know that a NO today can translate to a YES tomorrow or the next day. Just because the prospect isn’t ready today, doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in your service. Accept their situation enthusiastically, and keep in touch. Patience will often be rewarded
- Keep Your Emotions in Check. Embracing and overcoming rejection is a mental game. Top performers are emotionally strong, and are able to maintain emotional separation from another person’s opinion, or negative attitude. It’s important to build and maintain emotional boundaries, that allow you to focus on the process, instead of letting yourself get consumed by a momentary rejection.
- Rejection as Your Teacher. You lost a deal and it hurts. Instead of obsessing over the deal-gone-bad, take the time to study why it didn’t work, or how you could have done something different. Don’t be afraid to ask the customer or prospect what lead to their decision. Lean on the support of other agents who have had similar experiences. In short, turn rejections into opportunities to learn from experience and hone your skills.
- It’s Business, NOT Personal.We should have led with this tip because so many agents make the mistake of TAKING REJECTION PERSONALLY. There are myriad reasons why someone chooses not to work with you: their friend is an agent, your timing isn’t right, or maybe, on that day, and in that moment, you caught them when they were having a bad day. Always remember that rejection is NOT a reflection on you as a person.
- It’s a Marathon. Never let one bad day of many rejections divert your attention from your long-term objectives. Remember the saying: keep your eyes on the prize, meaning, be true to, and stay focused on, your long-term.
- Celebrate your Accomplishments.You may think you’ve had a bad day, but it’s highly likely you’ll be able to find a gem worth celebrating among the many rejections and disappointments. Before you go to bed, take some quiet time to write down two or three accomplishments from your day. This practice will help keep you motivated and focused on positive action.
An important thing to remind yourself is this: if you never get rejected, it means you probably aren’t pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. Yes, rejection stinks! So, when you get rejected, take a minute to acknowledge that it stinks, brush yourself off and get back on the horse (or, if you don’t like corny metaphors, get back on Espresso Agent and start doing what you do best).
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