4 Rules of Price Concessions When a buyer puts pressure on a seller, the seller’s natural reaction is to start offering concessions. Yet if a seller gives big discounts quickly, they degrade themselves and diminish their offering in the eyes of the buyer. Before giving any concessions, savvy sales negotiators will deploy the mobile defense plan to politely, but firmly, stand behind the price. If … Read more
One of my First Negotiations I’ve said before that a master negotiator makes sure his counterpart walks away from the table feeling like a winner. All savvy buyers are players, and they love negotiating, which they treat like a game. They enjoy it, and when they play with another trained player, it’s fun for them. It may not be fun for the seller. In fact, … Read more
Mobile Defense Plan When a salesperson believes the buyer has the money, and thus all the leverage, negotiating a deal feels insurmountable. This belief causes mistakes to happen, as the seller starts offering concessions in order to get a deal. Any deal. Instead of turning into a wimpy seller, learn to deploy the Mobile Defense Plan for sales negotiations. This four-step plan is designed to … Read more
Giving Concessions is Not Negotiating Master negotiators make sure their counterpart walks away from the table feeling like a winner. And they do so with a minimum of concessions. Yet, the paradox is that sellers who give away huge concessions easily, will end up with an unhappy prospect who harbors some vague, inexplicable sense that he’s been cheated. Giving concessions is not negotiating. Marking up … Read more
When to Disengage There may be a time when you find yourself in a situation in which a buyer is asking for something that you, as the salesperson, do not know how to respond to. When this happens, it’s important to remember that an agreement does not need to be reached in one meeting. It’s okay to disengage from the discussion to gather more information, … Read more
Create a Safe Negotiating Space In a career as a salesperson, chances are you will come across a professional negotiator. Someone who has been trained to get the best deal possible. There are plenty of strategies to prepare you to work with these savvy people. But most deals are going to be with average buyers. People who hate conflict as much as you do. In … Read more
Ten Reasons Software Sales Negotiations Are Unique In order to succeed in software sales, a salesperson needs to recognize what makes selling software different from selling other products. So what specifically makes software sales negotiations unique? #10: In the software vertical, list price is a joke, just like in the furniture industry or health care. #9: Software buyers are more likely to be formally trained … Read more
4 Negotiating Tips to Handle an Impromptu Sales Conversation When faced with an unplanned negotiating moment, an unsophisticated negotiator will choose a position and cling to it. A strong negotiator, on the other hand, will have several alternative approaches in mind, and will share these options with the buyer without arguing or offending. Becoming a great negotiator requires practice to develop good habits, and it’s … Read more
The First Step When You Take Over a New Sales Team In A Proactive Sales Leader Knows How to Increase Sales I provide a sequenced checklist of recommended activities for a new Sales VP who is taking on leadership of a new sales team. This is the equivalent of what a new coach might do when she takes over a new team. In this sales … Read more
Establishing Value on Big Deals Being a sales voyeur again I was sitting in a staff meeting with a client in which – the President and Sales VP’s were discussing negotiating, discounting and holding the line on price. One sales manager said, “If we can prove technical superiority, then I can discount less. But if I can’t prove product superiority you can’t expect me to … Read more