You know the moments of friction where you sense a misalignment with a customer, and somehow the harder you try to convince them, the less they listen? That's an objection. And it's a real headache for any CSM, consultant or account manager.

Last year I had to train my team in objection handling, and I realised that:

Unlike pre-sales, post-sales offers no way out. You can't sidestep these objections: you have to deal with them.
Failing to spot an objection is often the beginning of the end.
Hearing the same objections over and over creates fatigue, which sometimes triggers emotions that damage the customer relationship: irritation, dismay, condescension and so on.

If there's one thing to remember, it's that when objection handling goes badly, the problem is almost always the delivery, and rarely the substance. So let's focus on the delivery!

Reacting well starts with the right mindset. Here are 8 fundamental tips to help you get the delivery right in every customer conversation. If some of them seem to overlap, you've understood the point!

1. Stay alert, you're going to be surprised

Not every objection is stated head-on. Objections come up in two ways:

Direct objection: the customer openly pushes back or complains about what's bothering them, usually because they want you to know and expect a response or action from you.

'I sent my request an hour ago, this is a critical issue, your support is far too slow.'

Indirect (or hidden) objection: the customer mentions something that bothers them, weighs on them or where they're out of step with you, without expecting anything from you. Usually that's because they don't realise what you could bring to the issue, or don't realise there's a misalignment at all.

'I've decided to stop using that feature and do everything by hand, it's easier for me.'

Naturally, indirect objections are the hardest to spot. The best way to catch them is to avoid them in the first place: check what your customer thinks as often and as openly as you can. Anticipate, and pay particular attention to recurring objections.

2. Reacting well starts with reacting at all

A common instinct is to play dead: 'If I say nothing, it'll blow over.'

In Customer Success, you don't have that luxury. Unlike objections in pre-sales, your customer relationship is long term and doesn't end when the deal is signed. So you'll have very few chances to dodge an objection, because it will inevitably affect your project further down the line.

For example, if your customer wants to use your tool back to front, in pre-sales it would be wise to stay out of the debate if the point has no impact on the signature. In Customer Success, you can hardly avoid the subject if you want the customer's project to succeed.

React, note the point down: it will be easier to deal with now than later.

3. Being right or wrong isn't the point. This isn't a debate!

When someone is right, someone else is wrong. And nobody likes being wrong! So avoid getting drawn into a battle of ideas, and to do that, explain rather than justify.

Justifying is about convincing, using arguments and opinions.

'I really think this feature is more effective, because...'

Explaining is about helping someone understand, demonstrating with facts.

'This feature has several strengths that make it more effective. Let me explain why: ...'

4. Relax, your customer decides. Make suggestions and leave them in control!

As a CSM, you need to keep your customer's trust. To do that, like any good trusted advisor, you should act by giving your customer what they need to make their own decisions.

Behaviours to adopt: suggesting, guiding, informing, helping.
Behaviours to avoid: managing, directing, deciding, forcing.

And if your customer decides to do things differently despite your recommendations, so be it! As the saying goes, 'agree to disagree'. Also bear in mind that you don't necessarily have the full picture of your customer's context, and therefore of the reasons behind their choice.

So if your customer chooses another approach, keep your trusted advisor stance and support them as best you can in that decision.

Note: be careful with assertiveness. It's fundamental to any advisory approach, but often misunderstood. Being assertive gives weight to your positions and recommendations. But assertive doesn't mean pushy, and the line between the two is a fine one.

'I'd strongly recommend this approach. In my experience, the other approach doesn't work. What do you think?'

and not:

'You absolutely have to go with this approach. If you choose the other one, it won't work.'

5. It's not about you, so don't take it personally!

CSMs are often people who like helping others. We build relationships with our customers, and that can be a weakness in some objection situations, because it makes us emotional: annoyed, irritated, frustrated and so on.

You need to proactively remove anything that could make you emotional in these situations. Those emotions are toxic and would make you lose control of the conversation.

To do that, start by fully accepting the following:

In your role, you represent a legal entity, your company, in a customer/supplier relationship signed between your company and your customer's. The contract isn't signed in your name.
If your customer is annoyed, in disagreement or anything else, it's with your product, your role, your company, your pricing, your methods and so on, not with you as a person.

Sometimes the line is a fine one. If your customer attacks you personally ('Your work is unacceptable'), the criticism is really aimed at the professional issue that's bothering them (the methodology used), not at you. Explain that you're applying the company's rules, procedures or methodologies.

6. There's no such thing as a stupid question!

Hearing the same questions all day long can cloud your judgement and make you think some questions are stupid, pointless and so on.

Keep a few things in mind:

If everyone asks the same question, it can't be that obvious.
Before you learnt the answer, did you really see things any differently?
If a question is so complex for others and so simple for you, it's because you have real expertise. Be proud of it, and be glad to hear these questions.

7. An angry customer is a stressed customer!

Nobody gets angry for no reason. To almost paraphrase Yoda, most of the time loss of control leads to stress, stress leads to anger, and anger leads to the dark side... you get the idea.

Understand where your customer's emotions are coming from.
Show that you've understood: 'I completely understand how frustrating this situation must be for you.'
Focus on that to stay neutral: you'll be more inclined to help a stressed person than an angry one. And it will be easier for your customer to listen to someone who understands them, which will no doubt calm them down.

8. Be patient and go step by step!

The natural reflex to avoid is giving your solution or answer straight away and only then explaining it.

Take a step back. The subject you're discussing isn't simple, otherwise there would be no objection. So it won't be easy for your customer to grasp everything at once. If you present a solution that's too complex too quickly, it will be hard to digest and your customer will reject it outright.

Trust yourself! Once you know which solution or answer to give, that's no longer the issue. The issue becomes: 'How do I get the other person to understand and accept this solution?'

To learn how to get your ideas across and present your solutions when handling an objection, read 4 key steps to defuse an objection in Customer Success. It sets out the steps for opening up your customer's mind and presenting your proposal so that it's accepted in the best possible conditions.

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Customer objections in Customer Success: 8 habits for reacting well