Tips for LNCs Facing Rejection

LNCs facing rejection are most often in a marketing situation.

• You might be exhibiting at an attorney conference and watching people walk by without stopping at your booth.
• You might be making cold calls and having trouble getting past the gatekeeper.
• You might be finding out you will not get the case you discussed last week with your prospect.

When we don’t get the attention or cases we seek, it feels like we have failed in some way. But, if you embrace rejection you will find that it can be a tremendous tool in your LNC business development.

Facing rejection during exhibiting

There are many reasons why attorneys walk past you when you exhibit.

• They may be practicing an aspect of law that does not involve medical records.
• They might be in a hurry on the way to a meeting or to make a phone call.
• They may already have an inhouse LNC and don’t feel the need for an independent LNC.

And that is OK. There are people at the people who need to know about your services. Keep a smile on your face and concentrate on attracting the attorneys who can use your services.

The gatekeeper

You might be having trouble getting past the gatekeeper because he or she does not understand what a legal nurse consultant is. Gatekeepers are trained to put up a wall that protects the attorney from sales calls. Concentrate instead on winning over the gatekeeper and asking for voice mail.

The case is not coming

You might not get the case because the prospect does not appreciate the value of your services or does not think your rates are competitive. You might not get the case because the attorney has decided to not take the case. Concentrate on asking “why” questions and learning the reasons for the attorney’s decision. Fix the things you can change, such as concentrating on selling your value instead of defending your fee.

Rejection is a part of life. LNCs facing rejection are often afraid because they think it points out flaws in themselves. If you use rejection as a learning experience, you can use it to better your position. The biggest question you should try to answer is why did the person reject me? If you can answer that, you can take steps to improve.

Sometimes rejection is a blessing in disguise. The attorney who is not interested in your services is often not worth pursuing. You will not be able to convince every attorney handling medical cases that he or she needs your services. You just won’t.

Develop a tough skin and move on. Salespeople know that their success is a number’s game. Keep this four letter word in mind: NEXT. Keep going until someone says yes.

Rejection can also help you focus on the right type of attorneys to target. If you are trying to sell your services to attorneys who rarely handle medical cases, you are in for a tough sell and are likely to get a lot of rejections.

On the other hand, if you find a hungry market for what you are selling, getting to a “yes” answer is not going to take that long. Knowing the reasons why for any rejections can help you hone in what you need to change to avoid those rejections in the future.

If you are afraid of facing rejection, get over it. You’ve invested emotion, time, energy and money into being an LNC. Don’t throw that away because of a thin skin. You’ll find that rejection can help you get more of what you want out of life if you use it in a constructive manner. Don’t let it get you down. Just keep moving forward.
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