Do discovery before responding
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 8:58 am
3. Act “as if…”
Back at Salesforce, I noticed a strange trend in our deal negotiations. Many of my newer reps were actually giving away FEWER discounts than my experienced reps! I was confused as to why until I went home and noticed how my kids negotiated with me. One of the main reasons why children are KILLER negotiators is because they are unencumbered by the knowledge of what a “good deal” is. My new reps were the same way.
They had yet to be influenced by previous success or failure in the negotiating arena at our company. They didn’t know that *most of the time* customers like this get discounts like that.
The experienced rep beside them may have just given a 25% discount to a similar customer but the new reps acted as though 5% was the deal of the week! They believed in our value and weren’t unencumbered by the tribal knowledge of what a “good deal” was.
The moral of the story: in a negotiation, it often pays to forget what you know and aim higher! For example, instead of moving to a large say 15% discount off the bat because that’s what you gave your last customer, put yourself in a beginner’s mindset. Start with a modest (e.g. 5%) discount and operate as though that discount is considered a very good deal (which indeed it might be). Then, if you do need to provide concessions see points #1 and #2, defer authority and pick deliberate discounts.
Start every negotiation with belief in your value and a bolivia telegram data beginner’s mind and you’ll come out ahead.
A great question and deceptive complex question that I get asked a fair bit.
Of course, as salespeople, we have a natural tendency to want to defend our products and services but also to elevate and differentiate them over our competitors.
At the same time, we need to do it all in a way that comes off as authentic and credible and not arrogant or petty. After all, the way we talk about our competitors not only influences the way our buyers see our solutions but also our personal and corporate brand.
Here are five tips for talking about your competition:
Just like when customers raise objections around price or features, competitive threats often bait us into launching into a competitive positioning monologue! But before you get too carried away it can often help to stop and ask the customer about the nature of their question so you can respond appropriately.
Back at Salesforce, I noticed a strange trend in our deal negotiations. Many of my newer reps were actually giving away FEWER discounts than my experienced reps! I was confused as to why until I went home and noticed how my kids negotiated with me. One of the main reasons why children are KILLER negotiators is because they are unencumbered by the knowledge of what a “good deal” is. My new reps were the same way.
They had yet to be influenced by previous success or failure in the negotiating arena at our company. They didn’t know that *most of the time* customers like this get discounts like that.
The experienced rep beside them may have just given a 25% discount to a similar customer but the new reps acted as though 5% was the deal of the week! They believed in our value and weren’t unencumbered by the tribal knowledge of what a “good deal” was.
The moral of the story: in a negotiation, it often pays to forget what you know and aim higher! For example, instead of moving to a large say 15% discount off the bat because that’s what you gave your last customer, put yourself in a beginner’s mindset. Start with a modest (e.g. 5%) discount and operate as though that discount is considered a very good deal (which indeed it might be). Then, if you do need to provide concessions see points #1 and #2, defer authority and pick deliberate discounts.
Start every negotiation with belief in your value and a bolivia telegram data beginner’s mind and you’ll come out ahead.
A great question and deceptive complex question that I get asked a fair bit.
Of course, as salespeople, we have a natural tendency to want to defend our products and services but also to elevate and differentiate them over our competitors.
At the same time, we need to do it all in a way that comes off as authentic and credible and not arrogant or petty. After all, the way we talk about our competitors not only influences the way our buyers see our solutions but also our personal and corporate brand.
Here are five tips for talking about your competition:
Just like when customers raise objections around price or features, competitive threats often bait us into launching into a competitive positioning monologue! But before you get too carried away it can often help to stop and ask the customer about the nature of their question so you can respond appropriately.