You?ve heard the adage, that as a nation, if we don?t learn from history, we?re doomed to repeat it.

You?ve probably thought that this also applies to our mistakes, as individuals.

Perhaps, but rejection isn?t always a mistake that salespeople can learn from.

In a perfect selling situation, we?d get great feedback. We?d learn why each prospect declined, and what they chose to do, instead; including nothing.

Also, we?d learn why we succeeded; which is something we rarely ask. Why look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

But we might have been lucky, or perhaps our marketing and selling strategies are working perfectly. Without feedback, we don?t know what to continue and what to abandon.

Still, rejection often has no lessons to teach.

For instance, what if as buyer just doesn?t like you; you remind him of his coach who threw him off the basket weaving team. Even if he were consciously aware of his reason for rejecting you, what good would it do you to hear it?

Could you argue with him that his childhood experience should not reflect on you?

Would you resolve to never deal with him, again? You probably don?t have to; he?ll do the avoiding for you.

Rejection is an atmospheric condition endemic to selling. Like the air we breathe, it may be invisible to us, or if it?s smoggy, all too visible; but it?s always there.

And like the weather, we can gripe about it, but we can?t change it.

Growing up in Chicago, I learned to lean into the oncoming wind. Sooner or later I made it to my destination, and it made me stronger, especially if I didn?t make a big deal out of it, and just stayed on course.