Overcoming NO in real estate sales and in Life – changing the way we look at asking for what we want!

I had a recent conversation with a dear friend about their business and we came across a really great subject that I wanted to take a minute and go over with you. In a nutshell, we were talking about our respective services and that there were times when their bids seem high and they sometimes freeze before presenting them for fear of rejection – fear of the NO.

The word NO is such an interesting word – only 2 letters – but those two letters have the power to completely paralyze  us and cause us to fall into inaction. So why is that? My daughter is about to turn three and she is fearless when it comes to the word NO, she will ask and ask for hours to get what she wants, sometimes getting 10-15 no’s until either I tire of the struggle and say yes, or she gets bored of the asking and moves on. At what point in life do we lose this never ending desire to get what we want?

In sales and in life we have to deal with NO on a daily basis. It’s just a part of the job, and those who can overcome the fear of NO don’t just do a little bit better than their counterparts, they are crushing it.

So what is the main fear behind NO?

Rejection. We all want to be liked and making a call, meeting with a client or asking for something you want puts us in a vulnerable state. Asking someone to work with us or choose us puts us in a position that if they say no, it can oftentimes feel like they are rejecting us personally, even though more than 95% of the time it has nothing to do with you personally. They are usually just not ready for your service, or you have not demonstrated enough value for them to make any type of switch.

So how do we get past the paralyzing fear of hearing NO?

1. Don’t be tied to the result! – A pro baseball player in the hall of fame strikes out 70% of the time during their entire career! What kind of career do you think they would have if they got discouraged after 2 or 3 strike outs?
2. Make collecting No’s a game. – If it’s about numbers, then if your goal is to get to 30 No’s a day, then imagine how many Yes’s would be sprinkled in there. Also, notice the mind shift, if you are making calls to get No’s then what happens when you hear one? That’s right, success! The Yes’s are in there and they will come out.
3. Never forget that if you never ask then the answer is always NO.

So get over your fear of NO! It’s little, it’s insignificant and most importantly it’s just two little letters that are standing in the way of your true potential and life changing opportunity.