Be the Solution with Maria Quattrone

The Art of Bouncing Back: Handling Professional Rejection With Grace

• Maria Quattrone • Season 1 • Episode 316

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Rejection doesn't discriminate – it visits all of us in real estate, but those who learn to handle it with grace find the path to lasting success. 

Today I'm pulling back the curtain on what rejection really looks like in the trenches of real estate prospecting. After making 55 phone calls, I experienced seven hang-ups from expired listings, an unprofessional disconnect from a fellow agent, and challenging conversations with prospects demanding unrealistic prices for their properties. Rather than sugar-coating these experiences, I share how each interaction taught me something valuable about perseverance.

What makes rejection particularly challenging is that it often has nothing to do with you. I connected with someone facing serious health issues, another who had been fired just minutes before my call, and someone in the middle of a personal emergency. These moments remind us that behind every rejection is a human being with their own story. The magic happens when you can maintain empathy for these situations while not allowing them to impact your momentum or confidence.

Developing thick skin isn't optional in real estate – it's essential. The most successful agents simply treat rejection as confirmation they're doing the work that matters. Through consistent action, the emotional sting diminishes, and you begin operating in what I call your "genius zone" – that mental state where you perform optimally, free from emotional baggage. So keep dialing, keep following up, and remember: work works. You are the solution to your challenges, and your resilience will ultimately define your success in this profession. Ready to transform how you handle rejection? Subscribe now and build the mental toughness that separates top producers from the rest.

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Office number: 215- 607-3535

Speaker 1:

You have to be able to handle rejection at a high level.

Speaker 1:

So today I made 55 dials and I got hung up on by seven people. Seven people hung up on me. An additional person hung up on me. That was an agent that didn't like the question that I asked them. Person hung up on me. That was an agent that didn't like the question that I asked them, and so instead of them, instead of them just having a normal professional conversation, they decided to hang up.

Speaker 1:

So I called the main agent, who happens to be the broker in this case, because they are actually the listing agent on the property. It's a good clarity. And they said well, you know, they're new and they don't know. And I said that's all fine and new, but to be new, the thing is, I don't care how new you are as a professional. You don't hang up on other professionals and yes, hi, it's my life. How are you? Nice to see you here today, thank you for joining us, but you don't hang up on other professionals. Now, the other people that hung up on me are expired listings, oh, and a couple of people actually that I talked to a few years ago that probably don't need our services or don't remember or who cares. The point is is that it doesn't matter that they hang up. What matters is that you don't get ruffled by it and you just keep hitting next, next, next, next.

Speaker 1:

I also had a potential seller arguing with me about a price of vacant land commercial in West Philly, and he wanted about $100,000 or more than the property's worth and wanted to convince me of why he was right, which is fine. Try to convince me all you want, although I've sold a lot of properties over the last 20 years and I understand the market, I understand the values, I understand what's going on in the commercial market and in development market and the property is never, ever selling for the price that he wants to get. So I told him let's not waste each other's time anymore and let's kind of move on, because it doesn't make any sense to take a listing that you're never going to sell and you know off the gate it's never, ever, ever selling this year or next year for that price. So why bother, why take the time, why take the effort? What is the answer?

Speaker 1:

And the solution is to talk to more people. Talk to people that are ready to do something or will be ready soon, or you're just following up on those that you've spoken to before and you're touching base and seeing if there's anything you can do for them. How are they? How are their families? How's their health? I also spoke with somebody else today. Her health is not good, she's not well. I felt really bad.

Speaker 1:

I also called somebody, and 10 minutes before this and he's somebody that I've spoken to before about selling his property. Literally 10 minutes before I called, he was fired. So I had somebody with bad health. Somebody was fired. Somebody else I talked to today was having a small catastrophe and then I got hung up on six times plus a seven time by the agent. So, yes, hung up on six times, plus a seven time by the agent.

Speaker 1:

So, yes, you have to be able to handle rejection at a high level. You just have to got to be able to. And, yes, he might want to downsize and sell his house, but today it's my life was not the time for that conversation. I'm going to let him be. I told him the best thing to do is to go ahead and file for his unemployment while he looks for another job, but to do that right away, since he's already peed into it. And he was fired and he did not quit.

Speaker 1:

So be able to handle rejection at a high level, you have to have thick skin, you have to understand that it's not about you, it's about them, and people have their own agenda and it's our job and our commitment to keep on moving and find those who are willing and able to do something, and not worry about the ones that don't want to, don't want to hear from you or are not willing. So to be able to do that, you got to get up every day and just keep doing the work. And as you do the work, you get stronger and stronger, and that rejection doesn't bother you. Gotta, let it not bother you, because if it does bother you, then it's gonna hold you back from being in your genius zone. And when you're in your genius zone, that is when things happen. So how do we get tough? We get tough by doing more. We keep going at it by doing more, by doing the gritty work, getting our hands dirty and just doing it, and just keep hitting next, next, next, till you find somebody.

Speaker 1:

And when you do actually speak with somebody, be kind, be gracious, thank them for their time. I always thank people for their time on the phone, taking my call, especially somebody that I didn't know before this interaction, and I did actually end up setting. I set two appointments today not my best day, not my best day, probably set about 10. I said two. I felt like today was slower, just generally with calls coming into the office. I could tell on call volume.

Speaker 1:

But you still have to do the work day in, day out and handle that rejection at a high level. And when you learn to handle that rejection at a high level, things start to change. And when you learn to handle the rejection at a high level, things start to change. So you don't get disappointed, as you may keep getting hung up on, but I kind of giggle and laugh and just keep carrying on, keep doing the work. So handle the rejection, don't be scared of it, take it on, it's all part of the rejection. Don't be scared of it, take it on, it's all part of the process. And remember work works. You are the solution. Be the solution.