When a prospect says NO, don't jump to the conclusion it means never. The answer could mean "Not Now"! It does mean that you should back off and evaluate the situation carefully. The prospect could be telling you they are not ready right now. When a salesperson accepts the NO as a permanent decision and never contacts the prospect again, it is a mistake.

Rejection is a common occurrence in outside sales and we should accept it gracefully when it happens. If we were a child at the checkout counter of a grocery store and asked a parent for a candy bar, would it be the last time we asked if they said no? We would simply accept no as a defeat of the moment, not as a permanent answer. When the next occasion developed, we would probably ask again and again, right.

Now, I 'm not suggesting that we take the child at the counter attitude and close our prospects each time, over and over again. What I am suggesting is that perhaps the prospect was not ready to say yes. Maybe they didn't have enough money. Maybe they weren't ready for our product or service yet. Maybe they didn't understand how our product could make a difference. Maybe they hadn't heard enough about us quite yet.

Yes! I'm Ready Now! The important thing is to be around when the prospect comes around. If we prepared our sales research before closing, we would know if the prospect needed our product or service before we pitched it. If this is the case, why would we accept defeat so quickly and not be around when the prospect comes around.

Salespeople lose 60% of their potential business because they lose track of time. Time when a suspected prospect ripens to the point they need our services. If we don't have a system in place that keeps us in contact with prospects that aren't ready, we lose deals to competition simply because we aren't around. Do you have a sales system that pro actively contacts prospects that aren't ready? If you do, you will get calls from these prospects telling you, I'm ready now!

Steve Martinez implements sales management strategies with a focus on automating sales for printing organizations. Selling Magic teaches businesses how to automate and customize ACT or Outlook with the best practices of sales management while integrating email marketing and technology for greater profits. http://www.sellingmagic.com