Double Your Sales Success Using The Counterintuitive 97% Rule

Meta Description: Struggling with sales rejection? Learn how Marine veteran Ben Brown's 10-step process transforms rejection tracking into sales success in just 30-40 days.

Featured Snippet Summary

Marine veteran and 20-year sales coach Ben Brown reveals his counterintuitive "97% Rule" for sales mastery: focus on tracking rejections, not successes. His 10-step process transforms mindset first, builds confidence, and creates consistent results regardless of natural talent.

![Featured Image: Ben Brown Sales Coach]

Timestamps:

• 0:56 - High Performance Definition
• 3:57 - Sales as a Foundational Skill
• 8:12 - Rejection Mindset Training
• 20:42 - The 10-Step Sales Process
• 46:05 - Book and Contact Information

97% Rejection Is Normal: The Surprising Reality of Sales Success

Only 3% of sales attempts result in a closed deal.

That means 97 out of 100 attempts end in rejection. For most people, that's an unbearable reality—but for high-performing sales professionals like Ben Brown, it's the foundation of a 20+ year career in sales mastery.

"I mean, you know, the closing rate normally on any product is 3%. That's 97 no's. Can you do that? A lot of people couldn't," explains Brown in a recent episode of The Nathan Newberry Show.

But what if the secret to sales success isn't about avoiding rejection but actively seeking it? What if tracking your "no's" instead of your "yes's" is the counterintuitive key to unlocking consistent sales performance?

The Problem With Traditional Sales Approaches

Most people approach sales with the wrong mindset—focusing on acceptance rather than rejection. This creates several critical problems:

1. Emotional Instability: When success rates are naturally low (3%), focusing on successes creates emotional rollercoasters.
2. Inconsistent Performance: Without a process-based approach, results fluctuate wildly.
3. Burnout: Constantly seeking approval is mentally exhausting.
4. Poor Qualification: Too much time spent with non-buyers.

The result? Most salespeople quit before they master the craft, never developing the mental resilience needed for long-term success.

Marine Mindset: How Ben Brown Transformed Rejection Into Revenue

"High performance means that you're different from anyone else. Normally that means anywhere probably between 20% or less." - Ben Brown

After serving as a Marine, Ben Brown discovered sales through an unexpected path. Working as a personal trainer, he quickly realized his income was capped by the number of clients he could physically train in a day.

"I was in a gym business doing personal training and I realized that personal training was capped at X amount of people that you could serve per day. $75 per session, maybe six sessions your burnout. But I got recruited into the sales team because of my personality. And I realized just by talking how much more money I made from that."

This revelation started a 20+ year journey in sales and entrepreneurship, including:

• Building a $2,000-$5,000 monthly side business selling refurbished cell phones on eBay in 2002
• Starting and running a limousine service through multiple economic challenges
• Weathering a $90,000 business loss in a single year
• Developing a comprehensive sales coaching methodology

The Counterintuitive "97% Rule": Track Rejections, Not Acceptances

The core of Brown's method is radically different from traditional sales advice:

"One of the things I teach is don't look for the yeses, look for the nos. So some of the students, I would say, you know, we get on a phone and do cold calls or something like that. We would do check marks, you know, four and then cross this five and go all the way to a hundred. And then you realize your sales will go up because you're looking for a rejection, not looking for approval."

This mindset shift accomplishes several things:

1. Reduces Emotional Impact: When rejection becomes the goal, it loses its sting
2. Focuses on Process: Each "no" becomes progress toward your goal
3. Improves Technique: With pressure removed, you can refine your approach
4. Creates Consistency: Results become more predictable and less emotional

Brown explains, "And as your technique get better, your closing gets done. So if you're not looking for the yeses, you're looking for the nos, you're just trying to practice on a regular basis, it works better because people are really listening to what you say."

The 10-Step Sales Process: A Systematic Approach to Consistency

"Sales processes set you free." - Ben Brown

Rather than relying on natural talent, Brown advocates for a systematic, process-driven approach to sales. His 10-step method creates a framework that anyone can follow:

Step 1: Being Prepared

Mental preparation is the foundation of sales success. Brown emphasizes that being mentally ready to face rejection is essential.

"When I was a sales manager and people used to come in on Monday hungover like you're not prepared go home... Are you mentally ready for the nos, right? Do you have your day structure? Are you ready because it's a kill-be-kill game."

Step 2: Qualification

Brown stresses the importance of speaking with the right people who have decision-making authority.

"Am I talking to the right person? That saves you a lot of time. First rule I teach people honestly, Nathan is, never assume. Never assume that's the first rule in sales that I teach. You will never assume they have the money."

Step 3: Requirements

Before making a presentation, Brown recommends establishing clear requirements and confirming the prospect's ability to make a decision.

"If I could, would you, before I even tell you what, if I could set up the presentation... If this car is everything that we say is going to do and meet the numbers that you can, is there anything holding this back from doing business?"

Steps 4-10: The Complete Framework

The remaining steps of Brown's sales process focus on:

• Building value
• Addressing objections proactively
• Creating buying signals
• Closing naturally
• Generating referrals and testimonials

"By the time you get to the end, there is no, there's no way further than the run. You've built a case. You've asked all the right questions."

Why Process Beats Talent: The Secret of Consistent Sales Performance

While natural talent might give some salespeople an initial advantage, Brown firmly believes that a process-driven approach yields better long-term results:

"If you give me somebody who follows the process compared to a natural, I'll take the process guy any day because he'll kick his butt because that natural guy, his demeanor will go up and down during the year or during the month. He'll come in not feeling it. But if you know the process, I've seen this many times in sales rooms, 200 people in there. And people that not killing it, they're consistent."

This consistency is what ultimately creates sustainable success in sales. Rather than experiencing extreme highs and lows, process-driven salespeople maintain steady performance regardless of external circumstances.

Sales Is Not a Job—It's a Lifestyle

One of Brown's most powerful insights is that sales extends far beyond professional transactions:

"Sales is everywhere is what I tell people. You walk down the street. So when I teach people, they don't understand how it's a mindset. And normally the first 30 days I try to get them to change the prospect on sales, they just look at it as a job. No, it's not even a career, it's a lifestyle."

Brown explains that once you truly understand sales, you see it everywhere:

"Now I understand what you say. I see it everywhere. It's like the matrix. Like, yeah, sales, you're being sold all the time. Your phone, your children, everybody's selling you. Everybody. You're trying to sell them. So if you're not selling, somebody's selling you."

This perspective transforms how you approach not just professional sales, but negotiations in every area of life—from buying a car to securing a raise or even parenting.

Implementing The 97% Rule: 5 Actionable Steps

Ready to apply Ben Brown's counterintuitive approach to your own sales efforts? Here's how to get started:

1. Create a Rejection Tracking System
   Set up a simple tracking method (check marks, digital counter, etc.) to track rejections rather than successes. Aim for 100 rejections as your initial goal.
2. Develop a Mental Reset Routine
   Create a 2-3 minute routine to reset mentally between calls or meetings. This helps maintain emotional stability regardless of outcomes.
3. Memorize Your Sales Process
   Document your current sales process or adapt Brown's 10-step model to your specific context. Practice until it becomes second nature.
4. Focus on Qualification Questions
   Develop 5-7 key qualification questions that quickly identify whether a prospect has decision-making authority, budget, and genuine need.
5. Schedule Daily Process Reviews
   Set aside 15 minutes each day to review your adherence to the process, not just your results.

Success Metrics: How to Measure Your Progress

According to Brown, the traditional measurement of sales success (closed deals) is actually a lagging indicator. Instead, consider tracking these metrics:

• Process Adherence Rate: Percentage of interactions where you followed your process completely
• Rejection Count: Total number of rejections received (aim to increase this)
• Question Quality: Number of qualification questions asked per interaction
• Referral Rate: Number of referrals received even from non-buyers

Brown shares a powerful example: "I've gotten to the end with people and couldn't get them to close, but I even got two referrals from them and sold the two referrals... because it's part of my process."

Case Study: From Marine to Sales Master

Ben Brown's own journey illustrates the power of his methodology. Starting with selling $5 cell phones from people's drawers, he built a side business generating $2,000-$5,000 monthly in the early 2000s.

"And so you would come to my house and I would have all of these phones on the floor with all these different chargers. And I was pulling down two to five grand a month, which is big time back in those days."

When COVID-19 hit his limousine business, causing the phone to stop ringing for an entire year, Brown's sales mindset and process-oriented approach allowed him to weather the storm when many others would have quit.

Even more telling, Brown lost $90,000 in a business venture just one year before the interview, yet continued to thrive—a testament to the resilience his approach builds.

Beyond Technique: The Confidence Factor

"80% of sales is confidence." - Ben Brown

While the process is crucial, Brown emphasizes that confidence remains the most important element of sales success:

"So I could teach you all day long. You know it. 10 steps back and forth. You get on the phone. 'Hey, how you doing, my name?' 'no.' ... Hey, you got to control the room. You know what I'm saying? You got to understand that certain things like that. Do you believe in this in the product? You got to believe it like you're selling the last, the first and only thing that cure cancer."

This confidence comes from:

1. Mastering your process
2. Genuinely believing in your product/service
3. Viewing yourself as a solution provider
4. Understanding that rejection is about fit, not personal value

Is Sales Right For Everyone?

While Brown's methodology can dramatically improve anyone's sales performance, he's also refreshingly honest about the realities of high performance:

"Not everybody can be a high performer. Not everybody can, that's why it's called high not medium, right? Medium performer. I would like to sell that but that won't work, how to be successful at the medium performance. Status quo. Yeah, but you know, that's not what it's about."

The question isn't whether everyone can learn sales techniques—they can. The real question is whether they're willing to embrace the mindset shift required for mastery. As Brown puts it:

"The main thing I want is I want testimonial and referrals. I've gotten to the end with people and couldn't get them to close, but I even got two referrals from them and sold the two referrals... because it's part of my process."

Next Steps: How to Master the Art of Closing a Sale

Ready to transform your approach to sales using Ben Brown's proven methodology? Here are your next steps:

1. Get Brown's Book: "Master the Art of Closing a Sale" on Amazon contains his complete 10-step process
2. Schedule a Consultation: Visit meetwithbenjamin.com to book a direct coaching session
3. Implement the 97% Rule: Start tracking rejections instead of acceptances in your very next sales interaction

Want personalized guidance on implementing high-performance sales strategies in your business? Book a FREE strategy call with Nathan Newberry today to discover how to transform your sales approach and results: Schedule Now

Listen to the Full Episode

Hear Ben Brown's complete insights on sales mastery, entrepreneurship, and high performance:

• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

About the Author: Nathan Newberry helps elite business owners implement AI in sales, marketing, systems, and models to build rapidly successful brands. He specializes in helping founders implement Sell By Chat strategy to buy back their time and double their revenue within 6 months using his Elite Sales Model.

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