If you, then I. When you begin to negotiate and determine terms, conditions and pricing adopt the “if you, then I” mantra. Never give anything away until you seek a concession. “If you agree to X, then I will agree to Y”.
Know where negotiation fits into your sales process and appreciate that it requires a different set of skills to selling. It fits between – closing and delivering. The process is: Market, prospect and qualify, matching needs, close, negotiate, deliver.
Plan to negotiate. You don’t need to rush in; they won’t be. They’ll be bringing in all sorts of experts to help – finance, procurement – so you should too. Product experts, your finance team, data experts.
Use time outs regularly. This is not selling; it’s entirely different. It requires analytical and cerebral skills that rely on time to think, i.e. time outs, so don’t be wary of requesting these moments to think the situation through.
Prepare and train yourself. Before you enter the negotiation, role-play how things might an out. Ask your sales manager to act the part and help you with some realistic role play so you can prepare every eventuality.
