| Most entrepreneurs I know hate rejection
and sometimes even take a customer turn down personally. There is
a way of creating a positive outcome from these situations.
I believe one should do everything possible to handle objections,
but sometimes you simply have to accept that your customer is not
going to buy. When this happens, there are two things you should
always do, to make the most of the situation. This strategy has
provided me with incredible learning, and over time yielded
a great deal of business from customers I might otherwise have
lost.
1. When a customer says "no" to your sales
pitch, ask her why. Listen carefully and respectfully to her
answer. Take notes. This information is likely to contain the
clues you need to improve your offer. Thank her again and tell her
you won't bother her until you have something better to offer her.
Then, when you do have something better, give her a call. She
will probably accept it since you've proven to be polite and useful
-- and she may very well be ready for a change by the time
you do have something good to offer her.
2. You should also make sure that your customer's
details are in your database, and begin to nurture the relationship.
If you know what her interests are, or what challenges she is facing,
you can send relevant articles from time to time. If you have a
newsletter, make sure she is on your list of recipients. If you
have any customer events make sure she is on the invitation list.
This information should be of value to her not pitching your wares.
Only by constantly delivering value can you show her that you should
be top of her list the next time she is looking for your kind of
products or services.
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