Every sales rep sometimes feels like a failure in sales, and that’s not such a bad thing. After all, if you made a sale with every single sales call, you’d never learn anything, and you’d never have any incentive to improve your skills. Additionally, you’d feel very little satisfaction with your job. Yes, it’s tough to experience failure, but here are three reasons why failure in sales is a good thing.

You Learn in the Laboratory

Back in school, you probably had science labs to attend for some of your classes. In the lab, you got hands-on experience with the laws of nature. You have to see for yourself the cause-and-effect reactions you had read about in your textbooks.

Working in sales isn’t so different from time in the lab. You read about sales techniques and attend meetings, but where you really learn your craft is out in the field. You learn how to be successful as you experience failure in sales.

After each failure in sales, and yes, it’s normal to experience some failure on a daily basis, it’s wise to take a step back and think about what went wrong. 

• Did you do your research before first approaching the prospective customer?
• Did you push too hard?
• Did you listen to the prospects needs and concerns?
• Did you suggest viable solutions to the prospect’s problems?
• Did you follow up after your initial contact?

By evaluating your performance “in the lab”, you can turn your failure in sales into successes the next time around.

You Gain Motivation

Nothing is quite as motivating as failure in sales, but you have to be willing to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and turn that failure into a success. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, use your failure in sales to spur you on to harder work, greater dedication, and more effective strategies.

Maybe you can read a book that will introduce you to new sales methods you haven’t tried yet, or maybe you can meet with a mentor who can offer personalized, tried-and-true advice. Harden yourself to rejection–it’s part of the job–and let that rejection motivate you and give you the energy you need to make your next sale.

You Find Satisfaction in Your Job

Working in sales can be a real roller coaster at times. When you lose a client or get oh-so-close to a big sale and then get rejected, the disappointment can be severe. On the other hand, when you finally make a big sale with a prospect you’ve been working with for some time, you can experience exhilaration and serious happiness.

This is one of the great things about failure in sales. Without failure, you can’t experience those highs. Without having felt the rejection, success feels pretty ho-hum. Success after failure is incredibly motivating. You’ll want to experience it repeatedly, and do what it takes to get there, and this pattern will lead you to a career of achievement and growth.

Clearly, failure in sales is part of the game, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. As you experience failure in the laboratory of your job, you’ll gain motivation and find greater satisfaction in your work.