Learning from Rejection

Fear of rejection is probably one of the biggest obstacles to creating your dream products and/or business.  But, instead of hiding from the fear, let’s look at learning from rejection.

Here are some of the things I have learned, as a sales rep, from rejections I received from buyers:

  1. The timing of the contact was off.  The buyer was just not ready to buy at Learning from Rejectionthis time.  Maybe there was no open-to-buy or maybe they spend their budget the week before.
  2. The sales materials presented were incomplete.  The buyer could not easily find the information to place the order, or they had questions about the product and did not take the time to inquire further.
  3. The buyer did not see the value of purchasing the products.  Some buyers need to be sold more than others.  Having sales success stories on hand may be helpful or maybe the buyer just needs a bit more coddling.
  4. The product was not a good fit for the store. Not all products will work with all stores — even if the store’s niche is the same as the product.
  5. The store already sells a similar product. If the store features a line that is selling well, they may not be interested in adding another similar product.
  6. The buyer just doesn’t like you, your presentation, or your products.  Hey, it happens!  Even if you give the best presentation, your sales materials are complete, and your product sells well in other stores, the buyer just may not like something about all of it!

All of these rejections (and they are hundreds more) are all opportunities to learn how to improve on your business.

I love how Carolyn Edlund, Artsy Shark, addressed this in her article:

Reframe Rejection and Find the Positive

What you learn from rejection is what works and what doesn’t. This information is valuable in helping you tailor your future actions and channel them towards what does work. When you don’t succeed, it gives you insight into how your presentations are received, what might be improved, and maybe even whether certain markets are correct for your art.

Move towards what works, sharpen your strategies, and let go of the rest. This frees up space in your mind and your schedule to find the right track, and stay on it.

Listen closely when buyers don’t buy and learn from the rejection.  Believe it or not, you will improve and succeed if you do!

More article on fear and rejection which may be helpful:

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