Here we go, part two of two.

Today I’m going to discuss one of the most common rejections that we face as sales specialists working with technology: “I’m not interested”.

Talk about a blow to the ego. You’ve taken time out of your day to reach out to this person (and it usually takes more than one attempt to actually get a hold of them!) and offer them a solution that you know would serve them well to consider and they completely blow you off with three simple words, “I’m not interested”. How do you respond? What do you say to come back from it?

To start, do whatever you can to avoid having that rejection thrown in your face at all. Once you have the chance to connect with your prospect, begin the conversation by getting to know them – ask how their week is going so far, ask how they’re enjoying the sunshine, talk about the news article that you read last week about their organization etc. This sets the stage for a ‘conversation’ rather than a ‘sales call’. It will also make you seem more trustworthy if you start the conversation by asking about them and not throwing in their face whatever it is that you have to offer.

Even though you may start the conversation off positively and it may seem as though they are genuinely interested, the “we’re not interested at this time” rejection may still come out. In that case…

Consider their geographical location and their size (number of staff for example) before calling. If you’re able to compare them to another organization that is using your product/service successfully that they may be familiar with, that might be enough to make them rethink their response. If you have a good enough rapport with that organization, you could even consider the idea of requesting to use them as a reference for your prospect if you see enough potential with them. Hearing about the benefits of a product/service from a user has much more of an impact than hearing it from a salesperson!

If you’re bold enough, come out ask the question that everyone wants to ask, “What makes you say that you aren’t interested?” Hopefully their response will answer a few of the following questions: Are they the individual that you should be speaking with? Are they not able to see the value because their position wouldn’t be affected by the implementation of your product/service? Has their budget been used up for this year, meaning that next year would be a better time to connect? Do they not have a need for your product/service because they already use something similar? It may seem bold to ask, but without asking questions you won’t get any answers!

If after that point you’re still receiving pushback, you can’t force anyone to say yes or want to know more about what it is that you have to offer; at some point you have to step back and accept the “no”. I once sat in on a sales seminar where the speaker told us that no only means no in social situations, so keep that in mind. Just because they’re saying no now doesn’t mean that the answer will be no three or six months from now. Set yourself a reminder and try again later on!