Difficult Negotiators

by Sales Supervisor

How to deal with difficult negotiators.

Comment

Yes, I guess it's part of sales, isn't it ?

Not really the place for me to give a course in negotiation.
Here are some points but you may already know them.

Build value during your sales presentation. People want a good deal. If what you are offering excites them many people will negotiate less. (Not all though - my step son who owns a number of companies would negotiate on the price of a Mars Bar.)

First rule of negotiation.
Never give unless you get something in return.

Another important rule is,
Stick to the facts.
They are hard to argue with.

An acquaintance of mine, who is a world renowned negotiator (you know the type of person that gets called in to end air strikes or maritime disputes) tells me that the major problem with most negotiations is that the parties develop far too few options. If there are only two options it's easy for two people to assume one preferred option each and set up a conflict. More options opens the discussion.

Finally, be prepared to walk away. Know your bottom line, what you are prepared to accept and what you are not. When the line is crossed, WALK AWAY. I can vividly remember being pursued down the hall by a national buyer of a big local company because I had said the meeting was complete and we couldn't meet his demands. He was following me saying, "lets not be hasty..."

Hope this helps, Greg

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