Does anyone really like being criticized and shut-down? Honestly, raise your hand (to yourself since you are reading this on the computer) if you look forward to being rejected and being told you are not qualified enough. Well- I can tell you that no person naturally craves negative feedback. As people, we can train ourselves to learn to accept it and take it better than we normally would (which is not a bad idea), but we definitely do not naturally love hearing the word “no” under most circumstances.
I for one am a person who did not take criticism well and still do not sometimes, it’s a skill I am building upon, but something that I have learned that is key in being a salesperson and just in life in general is learning not to take things personally and look at criticism as constructive and simply a way to improve. Nobody is perfect and we all have flaws. We all get shut down or rejected from some sort of thing whether it be a job interview, a part in a play, or even romantically. But specifically looking at sales- not everyone is going to love you and your product. That is what buoyancy is all about- bouncing back up right when you down. Say you have five different sales meetings in a single day and you do not succeed with any of them. So what? Everyone has off days but that certainly does not define you as a person.
A technique every single sales person should think about if they are trying to build their acceptance of criticism is the “Enumerate and Embrace” method. This does not have to be a difficult thing to learn- make it into a game! Enumerate. Count the number of rejections you get. Maybe keep the rejection letters you get- or hang them up on the wall. This sounds cynical to some degree, but in reality this is just a way of motivating you to do better the next time. And then the next part is the whole point of this post, Embrace. Embrace your failures and rejections. See them as a reminder of the value of persistence and take them as a badge of honor.
You do not have to be miserable and terrified of the next rejection or “no” coming your way- it can be fun and almost invigorating when you become so unstoppable that even the harshest shut downs only make you want to work harder. Let the critics take their best punch, you can take it.
BoweryJE22
It is funny how this concept can apply to real life as well. Rather than take rejection personally, it is important to note that everyone has different opinions and preferences and while something may be right for someone, it does not have to be for everyone!
I’ve found that so many times I’ve learned far more from my rejections and failures than successes. While it’s hard in the moment, I just try to keep the frame of mind that 5 or 10 years from then, or maybe even the next day, I’ll be able to take those lessons and apply to not fail again.