Let's face it. Sometimes the work and effort of prospecting and getting new customers is tough. You hear the word “no” again and again. You feel defeated, and everything inside you wants to quit and walk away. You want to give up and go home. The answer is not to give in to defeat. Instead, have a plan to rebuild your energy and spirit when you feel the battle is lost.
ACTION ITEM
Identify people you can call on who will encourage you. Make a plan so that, when you feel beat up and ready to quit, you've got somewhere to go, somewhere to renew your energy and spirit.
When Ed called on us, he was always an excited, wound-up, and ready-to-go salesman. Every one of our people enjoyed seeing him come in, and we worked hard to sell his products. One afternoon, I asked him if he ever felt down, discouraged, or defeated. When he acknowledged that he did, I was shocked. Then I asked him what he did when he was in that defeated mode. He told me that he called on the customers who liked him, supported him, believed in him, and encouraged him. When I asked who they were, he said: “One of them is you. When I feel defeated, I call on you and a couple of others, and you get me going again. It's my plan for overcoming that feeling of defeat.”
TAKEAWAY
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat
are human feelings. The secret lies not in what
happens but in how you respond to it.