I am finally calling B.S. on the biggest myth in selling: Salespeople quit or fail because they “fear rejection.”

Give me a break. “Fear of rejection” is totally bogus.

THE TRUTH IS: Salespeople aren’t in fear. They’re vibrant people who make the economy run.

Fear of rejection is an easy way for sales managers and leaders to explain why their turnover is high. “Bob quit because he feared rejection.” Really? I doubt it. Bob quit because your leadership is weak, and your soft-skills training is weaker.

Fear of rejection is best described as an excuse. What you’re looking for, as a would-be successful salesperson, are reasons why a sale does not take place.

So, what are the 10.5 reasons rejection takes place?

1. Lack of attitude. Not just lack of a positive or a YES! attitude, but also lack of a winning attitude. You need to carry a copy of “The Little Engine That Could” on your iPad or Kindle and read it every morning.

2. Lack of preparation in terms of the customer. You may know what you offer, but you may NOT know what the customer wants or (more important) why he wants it.

3. Lack of belief. Belief is the most important and most complex, yet least understood emotion in the science of selling. Belief is broken down into five parts.

Part 1: You have to believe that you work for the greatest company in the world.

Part 2: You have to believe that your products and service offerings are the greatest in the world.

Part 3: You have to believe that you can differentiate yourself from the customer in a manner that the customer perceives as valuable.

Part 4: You have to believe that you’re a great salesperson capable of transferring a message and understanding customer needs.

Part 5: You have to believe that the customer is better off having purchased from you. Not believe it in your head. Rather, believe it in your heart.

4. Lack of sales skills. Because most companies provide poor sales training, it’s the responsibility of the salesperson to gain knowledge by investing in books, seminars, online courses and all other means to gain wisdom, not just knowledge.

5. Lack of self-confidence. Self-confidence and preparation go hand in hand. Salespeople think they’re nervous when actually they’re just unprepared.

6. Lack of resilience. This is a key element in the rejection-failure syndrome. Resilience is your inner strength to react to what happens to you, your outer strength and mental strength to respond to what happens to you, and all your strength to recover from what happens to you.

7. Lack of personal pride in your work. Lack of attention to detail. Consistent lateness. Missed appointments. Cynical comments.

8. Lack of pride in yourself. Most people take more pride in their favorite sports team than they do in their career. Think back to the time you made your biggest sale and recall that feeling each time you’re in a sales presentation.

9. Limiting self-thought. (I’m not good enough.) Most self-thought comes from the negative side, worried about what might happen versus dedicating yourself to changing the outcome. If you walk into the sale believing it probably won’t happen, you’re probably correct.

10. Low self-esteem. Someone told you that you’re not that good or not that smart, and you (like a fool) believed them.

10.5. Limited self-image. You don’t consider yourself equal to the buyer, or good enough to sell the buyer. EXAMPLE: Car salespeople trying to sell a car they can’t afford to buy themselves.

Fear of rejection? Totally false.

Fear of failure? Equally false.

People who espouse these false fears – avoid them.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by email at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2011 Jeffrey H. Gitomer