This is the third part of my series on cross selling, which can do so much to boost your career. Today I want to discuss how to handle objections, something that many people are anxious about.

You shouldn’t worry about objections,think of it as clients having questions about your products, and you need to answer the questions clearly so that your client has no worries about buying form you. I think you should welcome objections, because if a client is bothering to object, then it means that they are engaging in the sales process and you are a step nearer to your sale.

Handling objections comes with practice: the more you practice, the quicker you will learn what the most frequent objections to buying your product are, and how you can best handle these objections. But there are some general tips that you can use when dealing with your client’s objections and questions:

• Don’t say anything: This one works best in face-to-face meetings. When your client is giving you an objection, just give them non-verbal signs to show that you are listening intently but don’t say anything. When they stop talking, stay silent and look as though you’re thinking, a few things should happen:
  • they might start talking again and overcome their own objection
  • you will have time to reposition your argument
  • your next words will seem like something you have thought hard about, and will usually be received and reacted to as such
• Ask them for more information: This will give you more information with which you can reposition your argument. Get them to clarify any words that they have used: for example, if they tell you that your product is too expensive, ask them what they mean by too expensive. One thing to bear in mind is that you should avoid asking a ‘why’ question, as it will give you client an opportunity to list all of the reasons for not buying your product!
• Ask if you’ve understood them correctly: Then repeat their point back to them in your own words.
  • First, this will resolve any miscommunications that may have occurred
  • Second, it shows your client that you are being empathetic and makes them more amenable to your repositioned sales pitch.
• Make a soft challenge: What I mean by this is that you should call their bluff. Say something like, “If we are able to overcome this issue to your satisfaction would you then be in a position to say yes to buying our product?” As a sales-person, you should be looking out for non-verbal clues, and if your client still looks uncomfortable saying yes to this question, then you should delve a little deeper into their problems (but remember to do so in a non-threatening way).
• Check with your client: Once you have given your repositioned sales pitch it is always a good idea to check that it has actually worked. Asking questions like “what changes would we have to make to my proposal for you to say yes?” or “which proposal works best for you?” allows you to gauge whether you need to further reposition your argument.
• Ask them for the business: If you think that they’ve responded well to your repositioned sales pitch, then it’s time to ask for their business. If they are still saying no, then you clearly have more issues that you need to address. You need to use another of the methods mentioned here.

One thing that you should do over the coming weeks, is to think of the most common objections that you think will occur when trying to cross sell your products, and how you can overcome these, what techniques are you comfortable using, practice with friends. Even better go and talk to colleagues who have more experience, learn from their experience.

Good luck, let me know how you get on!