How to handle rejections in network marketing

Rejections happen to salespeople multiple times a day, but when it’s your own business it can feel personal. Sadly, not knowing how to deal with rejections when building your business is one of the most common reasons people leave network marketing. To help you in the face of rejection we’ve looked at one of the top techniques salespeople use to turn rejections around. 

We’re going to look at the ‘Feel-Felt-Found’ methodology. This is a sales technique you might have heard of before that is used around the world by salespeople. 

  1. Feel - empathize with the person saying you understand how they feel
  2. Felt - offer an example of how someone else (or yourself) felt the same way
  3. Found - explain how they/you then found something different after their experience

I understand how you feel about _____, I’ve felt that way before, and what I found was_____.

Here's a list of examples to help you respond to the most common rejections network marketers face. (You might find that you’ve faced some of these comments before!)  

Rejection 1:

"I’m incredibly busy, I love the products but I don’t have time to run a business"

Feel-Felt-Found

I completely understand, life is so hectic these days, it’s difficult to dedicate time to anything. Other teammates have felt the same way. When they realized they could set the limits on their business and decide exactly how much time they wanted to put into it and work it around their lifestyle they decided to give it ago and realized that actually, it slotted perfectly into their ‘busy’ time when they were on the go but also waiting, like waiting to pick their kids up from school.

If someone’s worried about time, send them Terri Lynn Abbey’s Penny Legend article to find out how she maximizes her time so she can run her business while still being an excellent mom. 

TL And Mug

Rejection 2:

"My friends and family won’t want me to bother them about [PRODUCT NAME]"

Feel-Felt-Found

That’s completely understandable, lots of people feel like that. I felt the same way at first but what I found was that actually if I was bothering someone then that was because I was reaching out to the wrong people. If your friends love [PRODUCT TYPE] then of course you won’t be bothering them but if they’re not interested, what I found was that it was best to ask them for recommendations in case they knew anyone who might be interested or shared the same interests as me. My friends and family support my business but they aren’t my customers.

Rejection 3:

"I know nothing about sales or running a business" 

Feel-Felt-Found

It’s funny because I totally understand how you’re feeling. I felt the same way. I had no sales experience and I’d never been my own boss. But when I started what I found was that being passionate about the opportunity and having an open attitude to learning from my coach was all I really needed. I learnt so much so quickly and found a lot of it came naturally by just sharing the products I love.

Are you looking to expand your team? Check out How to Start Building a Team

Laptop With Latte

Rejection 4:

"Who am I going to sell to? I don’t know anyone who might be interested"

Feel-Felt-Found

I definitely understand how you feel. I felt the same way and worried that I would have no one to buy products from me. But, what I found was that I know more people than I realize but also that with the power of social media, attending events and putting myself out there I was connecting with new people who were excited about the products and really wanted to try them.

For a practical resource for creating a prospecting list and seeing how many people you know read How to Build your Prospecting List 

Rejection 5:

"It’s not the right time for me"

Feel-Felt-Found

I totally understand how you feel. I never felt like it was the right time for me. There was something always getting in the way. And then it hit me, that if I keep on waiting for the right time then it was never going to come. I know it sounds cliche but what many of team have found, including myself, is that choosing to start this business was a way of me choosing myself and investing in myself. If you do decide to join, we’ll help you manage your time.

Use these Feel-Felt-Found examples as inspiration and guidance on how to improve your response next time you get a rejection from someone looking to join your team. Remember, this technique works best for any rejection based on a customer’s feelings. 

For more tips on how to improve your recruitment efforts read How to Maximize Recruitment Calls with Prospects 

Remember:

  • Feel
  • Felt
  • Found
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You've got this! We believe in you 🚀
- Penny

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