l
l
l
Did you know whether they were
evaluating any of your competitors?
Did you provide value to them and
offer educational resources to help
them make the best decision?
Do you understand why they turned
down your proposal?
LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITY
IN REJECTION.
Just because someone can’t or doesn’t
want to work with you today doesn’t
mean all opportunity is lost. You have
the chance to use content to build your
industry influence and remain a valuable
resource to the partners, prospects and
contacts in your network, whether or
2.
not they decide to become clients or
customers of yours—so take it.
One of the most valuable things our
sales team has learned was that a
rejection should trigger your ask for a
referral. If you’ve done your due
diligence as a salesperson, even
prospects who don’t sign with you can
still become advocates for your brand
and connect you to others who might
be a better fit for your services.
To turn your rejections into advocacy,
your first step is to make the ask. This is
something that sales teams are often
hesitant to do because they don’t see
what other value they can derive from a
contact who’s rejected them. But that’s
the wrong way of looking at it.
Don’t be afraid of the ask. The next
time you get a “no,” ask for a referral to
someone who might benefit from a
conversation with you. And to reinforce
the value you offer to your network,
establish a partnership referral program
to reward those losses-turned-advocates
who are helping you out. It can
definitely benefit you (and your
partners) in the long run.
MEASURE LONG-TERM
PROGRESS NOT
SHORT-TERM SETBACKS.
And speaking of the long run, don’t let
yourself become so consumed with short-
3.
“Dont be afraid of the ask. The next time you get a ‘no’ ask
for a referral to someone who might benefit from a con-
versation with you. And to reinforce the value you offer.”
36
PULSE
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July 2017