This is the continuation of the series which teaches you how to cross sell your company’s products and in so doing boost your own career. I want to look specifically at four common objections your customers might have and how you can overcome them:

• ‘I need to consult with my boss’: This is a classic which is designed to put sales people off, but there’s no need to panic if you hear it. Instead, see it as an opportunity to speak to the right person to make the decision. What you should do is:

1. Invite the boss into the conversation: If the person is genuinely concerned about what their boss will think, then they will gladly take you up on that offer. But remember to make it clear that you are not cutting them out of the process.
2. Set up a meeting: Take control of the situation by offering to set up, or host a meeting with your contact and his boss in order to settle any issues around the product that you are trying to sell.
3. Ask more questions: If your contact still doesn’t look comfortable, it is likely that the boss was just being used as an excuse. Try asking more questions to find out their real concerns, and then address them appropriately.

• ‘I don’t have the budget for that’: Sometimes this is simply the truth, and there’s not an awful lot you can do about it, but a lot of the time this is just used as a go-to excuse for not buying a product. If you think that it is just an excuse, or would like to test whether it is true, here’s what you can try:

1. Help your customer see the value: If your customer is saying they don’t have the budget, it is often just because you have failed to show them the value that your product will have for them. Try repositioning your argument in terms of return on investment.
2. Demonstrate your knowledge of the competition: Often a customer will be rejecting your product based on a straight price comparison between you and your competition. So this is where you should demonstrate your knowledge of your product, make sure they understand what differentiates it from your competition!

• ‘I’m happy with my current provider’: This is a much harder one to try and counter, but there are still ways of making the sale:

1. Find out their provider: Find out what provider they use, and what feature they like about it. After you have given them an opportunity to respond, let them know either that you can match this service and have an extra USP (unique selling point) or that you have a USP which is stronger than the competition and how your service will benefit them more than your competitors.
2. Find out any issues: Find out what issues that they still face while using this provider – maybe you already know some – then show them how your product will compete with the one they use, and not create the problems that the competition does.

• ‘I don’t have time to consider your proposal’: This can often end a conversation, but you shouldn’t see it as a definite ‘no’. Here’s how you can still make the sale.

1. Reschedule: Often you have just called them at a bad time – when they have a meeting in five minutes, or right at the end of a day – so reschedule for a time that better suits them!
2. Give them a reason to make time: Add some urgency to your conversation. There will always be a reason why they should sign up to your product right away, it’s your job to find it. For example, if your price is about to go up for new contracts, and they only have a week left to sign a contract at the existing price and make a saving!

Unfortunately, there will always be times where a client simply can’t, or won’t, buy your product. What is important on these occasions is that you take copious notes on the conversation. Look for the reasons why they wouldn’t buy, what else they might be looking for, and how you might better approach them the next time. Make a note of reasons you might have an opportunity to stay in touch with them, like birthdays or deadlines to quote for the next sale. Most importantly make sure you keep the door open so you can make a quotation for the next sale.

If you have questions please contact me and let me know.