{"id":115,"date":"2015-07-29T23:14:55","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T23:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/salesx17xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=115"},"modified":"2015-07-29T23:14:55","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T23:14:55","slug":"overcoming-barriers-to-success","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/cerritos-sales-1\/chapter\/overcoming-barriers-to-success\/","title":{"raw":"Overcoming Barriers to Success","rendered":"Overcoming Barriers to Success"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n

<\/h2>\r\n
\r\n

Learning Objective<\/h3>\r\n
    \r\n\t
  1. Identify how to overcome barriers to success in getting an appointment.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\nWhen Milton Hershey first opened his candy store in Philadelphia, he had to shut down after six years because he never made enough sales to get the business off the ground. After closing in Philadelphia, he moved to Chicago, then to New Orleans, then to New York, each time failing and starting over again. In fact, it took ten years of rejection and failure before Hershey\u2019s business succeeded. You already know how the story ended for Hershey (now a $5 billion company), but now you also know that the Hershey Chocolate Company wasn\u2019t an overnight success; the business only took off thanks to one salesman\u2019s persistence in the face of failure.[footnote]Evan Carmichael, \u201cHis Secret Recipe: How Hershey Achieved Success,\u201d video, EvanCarmichael.com, http:\/\/www.evancarmichael.com\/Famous-Entrepreneurs\/603\/His-Secret-Recipe-How-Hershey-Achieved-Success.html<\/a> (accessed August 1, 2009).[\/footnote]<\/span>\r\n\r\nRejection is a reality that all sales professionals have to deal with occasionally, no matter how experienced or skilled they are; it comes with the territory. Prospects will sometimes hang up on you or refuse to see you, and others will listen to your sales approach and then tell you that they aren\u2019t interested in what you have to offer. However, if you approach your sales call with confidence and refuse to take rejection personally, then the possibility of rejection doesn\u2019t have to be a barrier to your success. Do you believe in the value of the solution you are selling? Are you doing your best to ensure that your customer gets what he needs and wants? Then you have every reason to be confident.[footnote]Wendy Weiss, \u201cWhy Are We All so Afraid?\u201d Sales Information, 2004, http:\/\/www.sales.net63.net\/1138.php<\/a> (accessed August 1, 2009).[\/footnote]<\/span> Recognize that it is the fear<\/em> of failure, more than anything else, that creates a barrier between a salesperson and a successful sale.\r\n
    \r\n

    Overcoming Your Reluctance<\/h2>\r\nSuccessful selling is all about mastering your attitude, and this is especially true when it comes to facing rejection. Sales coach and author Phil Glosserman puts it this way: \u201cThe only person who can reject you<\/em> as a salesperson is yourself.\u201d[footnote]Phil Glosserman, \u201cThe Fear of Rejection,\u201d video, Selling Power<\/em>, http:\/\/www.sellingpower.com\/content\/video\/?date=7\/9\/2009<\/a> (accessed March 16, 2010).[\/footnote]<\/span> There are all kinds of reasons why a prospect might give you a \u201cno thanks\u201d response, very few of which have to do with you personally. Your prospect might simply be unwilling or unable to make a purchase at the moment, he might be facing pressures at work that prevent him from giving you his full attention, or he might just be having a bad day. Instead of focusing on the way you<\/em> feel (\u201cWhat if he turns me down?\u201d), Glosserman suggests focusing on the way your prospect feels (\u201cHow can I help him get what he wants out of this interaction?\u201d). If you imagine how your customer feels before and during your interaction, you will often find that you forget to feel anxious.[footnote]Phil Glosserman, \u201cThe Fear of Rejection,\u201d video, Selling Power<\/em>, http:\/\/www.sellingpower.com\/content\/video\/?date=7\/9\/2009<\/a> (accessed March 16, 2010).[\/footnote]<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn addition to mastering your attitude, here are a few empowering and practical things you can do to help build confidence (and get a higher rate of yes responses) going into a sales approach:\r\n