Independent recruiters, acting as a sales force of one, are often paralyzed by their fear of rejection. We all know the feeling, the fear that when a potential client does not sign you on as their recruiter of choice that somehow that means that it is a personal rejection and that you will never secure work again. This feeling can stop you and put you on the road to disaster if it is not confronted. Below are a few tips on how recruiters can overcome the fear of rejection when soliciting businesses:
- Remember, that sales is a numbers game. More specifically, the more rejections you get the closer you are to success. Don’t be afraid to receive a no from someone, just understand that it is part of the process.
- As a recruiter you must realize that just because your services are not a good fit for one business does not mean that ever business will reject you.
- Recruiters must treat every new interaction with a potential client as just that, a new interaction. Do not carry the baggage of your last rejection into the new opportunity. Understand that there is a potential for success in every new client interaction.
- Recruiters must remember that rejection is never personal, even if the person rejecting you makes personal comments.
- Make a commitment to moving forward despite how many rejections you receive. If you are making sales calls, set a goal of how many calls you will make that day and don’t shorten that list because of rejection.