Going Up? How Sales Negotiators Deal With Escalation

Just when you think that you’ve got everything nailed down in a sales negotiation, you just might run into the issue of escalating authority. Sure you’ve reached a deal with the other side of the table, but then all of a sudden somebody else gets involved and it turns out that they don’t like your … Read more

The Challenges Of Negotiating Internationally

Got a great email from reader Nadir Benouali the other evening. Nadir has a fantastic set of negotiating experiences and was willing to share them. Nadir is a US citizen of Algerian origin, and speaks Arabic, Spanish, and French. The last 20 years have been spent negotiating business around the world which provided exposure to … Read more

Sales Negotiators Need To Know How To Wait

When we start a sales negotiation, we have certain expectations about how it’s going to go. If we’re selling something, then we believe that the other side will state what they are interested in buying, we’ll have some discussions and we’ll eventually provide them with a proposal. We then expect them to react to the … Read more

4 Ways That Less Is More In A Sales Negotiation

Power, power, power – sales negotiations are all about who has the most power, right? Well, no – sometimes it’s about who doesn’t have the power. A case in point is when you find yourself in a situation where you have limited authority – your hands are tied. It turns out that that there are … Read more

How Would You Negotiate If You Had No Authority…?

When we talk about what it takes to be successful in your next sales negotiation, we often talk about how much authority you can bring to your side of the table. Your basic goal needs to be to show up to the negotiation with as much authority as you can bring – you are “the … Read more

Facts Negotiators Should Know About Time

When you are getting ready for your next negotiation, you might want to spend some time thinking about the most important item that you need to make sure that is in order. I’m not talking about your notes, the location of the negotiations, or even the strategy that you’ve mapped out for the negotiations. What … Read more

Negotiating Secrets To Getting The Other Side To See Things Your Way

Have you ever changed something about your appearance that made you look dramatically different? How did that go over with your family, friends, and coworkers? I’m willing to bet that right off the bat there was some shock when they first encountered your new look. However, over time that faded and things got back to … Read more

The Secret To Dealing With Deadlines: What Negotiators Need To Know

Just how long do you think that your next sales negotiation is going to last? I’ve got news for you – it may not last as long as you may think that it’s going to last. The reason is that either side of the table may use deadlines to help hurry things along. If this … Read more

The Most Important Word In Negotiating Begins With A “P”

All too often when we see negotiators in the movies, they are portrayed as slick, fast talking folks who always seem to effortlessly get their way. The first thing that we need to realize that this is the movies and so it in no way represents real life. The second thing that we need to … Read more

Sales Negotiators Want To Know: Is Longer Really Better?

The goal of every sales negotiation is to reach a deal that is agreeable to both sides. The question is just how much time should you take in order to get there? The classic question that all sales negotiators are always trying to answer is if it is better to negotiate in short sessions with … Read more