Rejection is a natural part of the sales process. It’s hard to avoid, and even harder to face. However, have you ever considered the silver lining of rejection? Maybe all of those “nos” have made you who you are today. Hearing “no” forces salespeople to climb out of their shell, think outside of the box, and reach for new horizons. Working in sales and facing “no” on a daily basis can help you build critical skills that can prepare you to withstand and excel against the rigors and challenges of the business world. Enduring a little rejection now can train you to be resilient, flexible, and mentally strong – all skills that can benefit you greatly as you grow your career.

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Here are just a few ways in which rejection can help drive your personal growth:

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You Learn

In order for someone to grow as a sales professional, he or she has to understand what works and what doesn’t work. When you recognize that some part your pitch, approach, or presentation isn’t working, you learn how to make critical decisions to correct the problem and get back on track. You discover how to do better, so that it does work the next time around. Salespeople are constantly learning, trying to improve the process. Only with a “no” can you get that much closer to a “yes.” Since business is an ever-changing landscape, as you progress through your career, having the ability to learn will make you a more desirable hire. It’s what fuels your personal growth.

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You Develop Patience

We all know the saying: patience is a virtue. Boy, is that true, especially in the world of sales. The sales business is a numbers game that teaches you to accept that if the first customer says “no,” you just have move to the next one and keep going. There is no room or time to throw up your hands in exasperation. The best salespeople understand that a successful sales day is a marathon, not a sprint. Over time, sales professionals learn how to maintain a patient, positive mindset no matter what. Developing this kind of unwavering resilience will also prepare you for managerial positions, even owning a company. Things will go wrong, people will quit, rejection will befall you, and unfair things will happen. Maintaining your patient disposition through it all is what will set you apart from the competition.

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You Learn How to Be Flexible

Salespeople can’t afford to be stuck in their ways. Sales is a process of experimentation and refinement. When good salespeople face rejection, they learn how to rethink their approach to avoid a sales blunder in the future. Overtime, sales teaches you how to apply self-discipline to correct course, test new approaches, and perfect your pitch until you can consistently deliver results.

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You Communicate Better

Sometimes, you face rejection because your communication skills weren’t up to par. Perhaps you misspoke, failed to listen, or just delivered a message without any energy. Communication is the cornerstone of every business interaction. Hearing “no” can inspire you to do what it takes to hear that “yes” next time. You’ll refine your messaging and communication approach. Within business, communication is how critical information about sales, services, and products is relayed to key stakeholders. You need to know how to communicate quickly, effectively, and with authority. It’s time to get started.

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You Toughen Up

Finally, it’s inevitable that rejection is going to force you to develop thicker skin. However, that’s not a bad thing. In the world of professional sales, it’s an incredibly important attribute. You’ll learn to listen to your gut and intuition, rising above rejection to focus on what you need to do to get the job done. You’ll develop your own personal shield that keeps you protected.  As you climb towards the top, this internal toughness will better prepare you for the obstacles and stakes ahead, like hiring/firing decisions, expansions, acquisitions, and the list goes on.

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We all know the time-old adage, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” In sales, this saying proves true. A healthy amount of rejection is necessary for personal growth and advancement. The next time you’re faced with a “no,” smile, for it is another opportunity to grow and flourish as an individual and a professional; it’s another opportunity to see things in a new light and appreciate a new way of doing things; and it’s another opportunity to become wiser, stronger, and better.

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What have you learned from rejection in the past, and how has that helped to accelerate your personal growth? Share them with Cydcor in the comments below.

What does it take to be a successful salesperson? One of the best ways to unlock your real sales potential is to look at the traits of successful people in other fields. Whether it’s astrophysics or technology or sports, there are a number of traits that successful people share. Discover what those traits are here, and find out how you can utilize them to become the most successful salesperson you can be.

Passion

It’s nearly impossible to be successful in any arena if you aren’t passionate about what you do. It takes long hours and hard work to get to the top of any field. If you’re not passionate about what you do, it makes it that much harder to put in the effort. But when you love what you do, all those sacrifices you make for the job no longer seem like work. They feel worth it, because this is what you were meant to do.

Innovation

Innovation is one of the main traits of successful people that pops up in nearly every field. But how, exactly, do you tap into the creativity that leads to innovation? Try looking at the obstacles in your life. It may seem counterintuitive, but every obstacle has an upside. It provides you with a way to find a solution. Ideas are born from the combination of a need to accomplish a task and a fresh perspective. Keep your eyes open for novel solutions that others may not see. Keep your ears open to listen for obstacles that others might have. Ask questions that can uncover the root of the obstacle, and you’ll unleash your inner innovator in no time.

Self-Improvement

Think about your favorite sports figure for a moment. They are exciting to watch—thrilling even. You root for them and you’re disappointed when they lose. Now imagine if you found out they no longer showed up to training and refused to practice. It wouldn’t take long for you to find someone else to cheer for, would it? Self-improvement is a process that never ends. There’s always room for you to be grow, improve your skills, and become a more successful salesperson. There really is no such thing as a plateau, because there is always more to learn. Maintain a student mentality to avoid becoming complacent. Look for ways to further your education, your technique, and your motivation to ensure long-term success!

Self-Reliance

Successful people don’t become successful through luck.  Luck is merely means being prepared when an opportunity arrives. You have to develop your skills and position yourself in a space where opportunity exists. That way you are ready, available, and capable to meet your opportunities head on. Remember that a successful salesperson can thrive in any market, because when you are living up to your potential, you create your own success.

Provide Value

You’re never really selling goods or services; what you are always selling is solutions. Your clients have problems that they need resolved, and you have the means to resolve them. Listen carefully to your client, and ask them questions that get to the root of what their issues are. Then, you are poised to add value to their day-to-day life. Think about Martha Stewart. She mastered the skill of making a beautiful home, and in turn, she sold the solutions she discovered along the way to millions of people across the country and benefitted their lives.

Persistence

Failure is inevitable, and the ability to work through it and keep yourself dedicated to your goals is one of the defining traits of successful people. There are countless examples of this. Sir James Dyson created 5,126 failed prototypes before creating a bagless vacuum that worked. Dyson Vacuums is now valued at billions of dollars. Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, had his first book rejected by 27 different publishers. Stephen King threw away an entire early draft of Carrie because he was unsatisfied with his product. His wife saved it from the trash and it eventually launched his career. Every failure is a chance to learn, to adapt, and to refine your approach.

Self-Control

A successful sales person doesn’t need anyone other than themselves to hold them accountable. Similarly, you are the only person who truly knows just how valuable you are to a team. While your manager will set certain expectations of you based on your potential, to really excel, you should set even higher standards for yourself. You know what you are capable of. You have the discipline to achieve success. You must answer to yourself at the end of every day.

Exceed Expectations

There’s an old sales saying, “under-commit and over-deliver.” But what happens when you over-commit and still over-deliver? Successful people do more than what is asked of them. They think of their job description as where their job starts, and then they look to add even more value to their team. In addition to proving to others that they are a team player, their work really stands out.

Goal-Oriented

Across all disciplines, it is a proven trait of successful people to remain goal-oriented in spite of any and all surrounding circumstances. The key to obtaining the goals you set for yourself is to approach them strategically. Differentiate short term goals from long term goals and prioritize your progress accordingly. Realize that long term goals are often made up of a number of more easily actionable short term goals. Tackle those short-term goals one by one, and soon you will discover you have achieved the success you deserve.

Be sure to check the Cydcor Blog regularly for more tips on how to become the successful salesperson you are meant to be!