There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a solid ‘no’ from a prospect – especially one you’ve put a great deal of time and energy into converting. Like it or not, there will always be situations in which your efforts ultimately don’t pay off. How you respond to those missed opportunities, however, can have an impact on your future success. Let’s take a look at five tips that will help you bounce back after experiencing a tough break.

Let yourself be human.

You aren’t a machine. You are human and chances are right about now you’re experiencing some feelings and emotions that aren’t so great. Recognizing and acknowledging these feelings can be the first step in getting over them and moving forward. Don’t pressure yourself to bounce back right away. Give yourself room to breathe, allow yourself a little bit of time to regroup and then, when you’re ready, get back in the saddle. It may take a little longer, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

Create and cultivate a supportive environment.

Feeling like a failure is never a great experience. Having someone there to pick you up, help you dust off and keep you focused on the positive can make all the difference. Surround yourself with others who are supportive, not competitive. This will enable you to let your guard down, admit when you are struggling and reach out for help when it’s needed. With the right team culture and a positive attitude, missed opportunities won’t threaten to derail your progress.

Understand the reasons why.

It can be painful to relive a lost deal, but it’s crucial to improving your chances of landing those big sales in the future. As difficult as it is, try to look at missed opportunities as a learning experience. If possible, ask the prospect why they chose not to move forward. You might be surprised to find that it’s got nothing to do with you. For instance, it could have simply been a cost issue. If it was something you did, take the feedback and turn it into an opportunity to learn, grow and improve.

Reset and get back to basics.

When deals fall through, it’s easy to become hyper-focused on the negative. To avoid this, try temporarily shifting your focus from the “big picture” to smaller, more easily achievable components of the sales process. By doing this, you’ll experience a sense of accomplishment that can help you build up your confidence again. Remember – one of the strongest negative emotions is the feeling of a loss of control. Activity-focused selling can help you regain that sense of control and work toward improving.

Learn how to spot red flags.

One important lesson that can be learned from a missed sales opportunity is what red flags may have existed that you didn’t notice. Perhaps the prospect was too price-sensitive right from the start or signaled that he or she wouldn’t have the final say in the decision-making process. Recognizing what these warning signs are can help you identify them in advance for future deals, enabling you to cut your losses and avoid wasting precious time on a dead-end deal.

Missing out on a sales opportunity stinks. Knowing how to respond to the disappointment and learn from your mistakes, however, can help you develop into a more effective salesperson and improve your performance going forward.