Cyber Week Sale! 50% Off All Access

The Best Thing to Do When You Get Knocked Down Flat on Your Face How do the best salespeople carry on after being told "no" so many times? First, they stop feeling sorry for themselves.

By Matt Mayberry Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

Imagine reaching the top of your profession after dreaming about it since you were a child, then all of a sudden have it completely taken away from you in an instant.

That's exactly what happened to me when I got hurt in my first game as an NFL player for the Chicago Bears. I was depressed and didn't talk to any friends or family members for at least two weeks. My life changed forever though when I reluctantly agreed to speak at a leadership event after I received the news that I was going to be out for nine months and reached an injury settlement with the Bears.

Related: 5 Truths to Remember When Facing Failure as an Entrepreneur

That night, I learned a valuable lesson. When failure knocks you down and you are depressed and feeling unworthy, as if there is no way out, you absolutely must get up and get moving! Throughout the years I have had the great privilege to train and work with some of the most amazing sales organizations in the world, and to me, sales is one of the best examples of the importance of increasing action when adversity strikes.

As a salesperson, you are going to get told "no" more than you are going to get told "yes." For most people, this is tough to deal with. Let's face it, nobody likes rejection. The average salesperson hates how he or she feels being told "no"; so this person ends up making fewer calls, visiting fewer prospects and doing enough to just get by and keep their jobs.

Unfortunately, that doesn't just apply to salespeople, as ordinary folks from all walks of life have adopted that philosophy for when the going gets tough.

On the other side of the spectrum, you have the salesperson who continues to make more and more money regardless of how bad the economy is. The value such a person brings to both the marketplace and their companies is astonishing. Everyone asks salespersons like these how they do it, looking for some magical answer or secret; but in reality these salespeople aren't doing anything else except constantly taking massive action, even when the going gets tough.

The best salespeople understand that if they made 30 calls the previous day and received 30 "no's," then they have to make 60 calls the following day to possibly get that one "yes." Increasing your action when adversity hits can be a complete game-changer for you. It will bring far more results than taking the easy way out. What happens when you increase action is, you increase the chance of opportunities coming your way.

Related: Bar Rescue's Jon Taffer Says 'Every Excuse Is BS'

It's nearly impossible to defeat the person who is willing to get back up and keep fighting. Regardless of how devastating your failure is or how much it has you in the gutter, if you are willing to promise to never get complacent and settle, failure and the hard times in life will never be able to place you in the box of mediocrity that paralyzes so many people and prevents them from tapping their inner greatness.

Some of the world's greatest achievers weren't necessarily more talented, they just never gave up when they got knocked down on their faces. Whatever it is, just get moving. The whole moral behind increasing your action is to take complete charge of what's to come.

Most of the time when people experience a major failure, they just sit back and wait for life to happen. Over time, however, they quickly learn that this way of living serves no purpose.

I didn't know that speaking at the leadership event after I got injured would introduce me to my purpose or help me look at failure in a different light, but it did. It's all because I made the decision to get out of bed, stop feeling sorry for myself and get moving.

One thing that you need more of when failure knocks you down is self-confidence. Taking massive action does exactly that. Failure in itself becomes a graveyard for so many. The fear of failure grows so strong that any chance of getting started is beyond a long shot. The likelihood of pursuing a dream or passion in life is slim to none.

Related: 5 Ways Criticism and Rejection Builds Your Capacity to Succeed

Failure combined with inaction is extremely deadly and will completely rob you of doing any meaningful work. One of the best things you can do for yourself right now is to decide that you won't wait for things to be perfect, because things will never be perfect. One of the most surefire ways to change how you feel is to get moving!

Matt Mayberry

Speaker and Maximum Performance Strategist. CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises

A former NFL linebacker for the Chicago Bears, Matt Mayberry is currently a keynote speaker, peak-performance strategist and writer. As the CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises, a training and consulting company, he specializes in maximizing the performance of individuals and organizations all over the world. He published his first book, Winning Plays, in 2016. You can contact him and learn more at mattmayberryonline.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

'I Just Hustled': She Earned More Than $300,000 Wrapping Gifts Last Year — and It All Started With a Side Hustle

When Michelle Hensley lost her husband to cancer, she needed to figure out how to earn an income for her family.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business Solutions

Build Professional Websites Without Coding or Paying More Than Once

Create stunning WordPress sites easily with MaxiBlocks — a cost-effective alternative to expensive website builders like Wix and Squarespace.

Living

The Complete Car Adventure Package That Might Inspire Entrepreneurs to Camp More

The Carsule and Mottress might just upgrade any outdoor adventure.

Marketing

The End-of-the-Year Marketing Checklist That Helped Triple Our Annual Revenue Growth

List your marketing metrics and check them twice if you want bigger returns. Here are seven strategies I used to triple our annual revenue growth.