Sales Negotiation Training

Sales negotiation training needs to be provided to all sales people.

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Sales negotiation training focuses not only on the negotiation of price but also on the negotiation of the terms and conditions of the sale.

In fact, from the seller’s perspective, often price is the one element of the sale that has little room for negotiation.

While negotiation is usually occurring throughout the sales process, it takes a skilled negotiator to successfully close the sale.

All sales people can benefit from a focus on improving negotiation skills.

Sales negotiation training must consider:

• the process of negotiation, the tactics to be used, the parties involved in the process,
• the relationships and communication between the parties involved,
• and the negotiation issues, potential options and solutions, and agreement.

Effective sales force management means ensuring that you focus on sales development training, including sales negotiation, sales presentation, sales management, sales performance, and much more.

What is Sales Negotiation?

Maximizing value for both the buyer and the seller is a key goal for good sales negotiators. Negotiation typically happens at various points in the sales process.

A strong negotiator is looking for a win/win for both buyer and seller. A good sales negotiation leaves both the buyer and the seller satisfied and builds your business brand and reputation.

Sales Negotiation Training Checklist:

If you need assistance in providing this training, consider the advantages of outsourcing your sales training needs; hire a sales training consultant.

Before negotiating, ensure that your sales people understand that they need

• to present the solution to the buyer and ensure that the buyer clearly understands your product differentiation and the value proposition;
• to know how to elicit objections; before entering the negotiation stage, your sales person needs to know the reasons why the buyer wants to (or isn’t ready to) buy;
• to know how to communicate and quantify the value the buyer will receive from the sale;
• to know to deal with the decision maker; the buyer - and they need to understand the importance of pre-qualification;
• to know at what point they will walk away from the deal ... and be prepared to do so;
• to use open ended questions during the negotiations to confirm understanding of the problem and the solution; by asking these questions, the sales person can steer the negotiation in the direction he/she wants to go;
• to be prepared to handle resistance and objections; don’t get diverted by these tactics, listen and respond with additional questions - always trying to move the conversation in the direction your sales person wants to go;
• to allow silences and pauses – maybe the buyer is simply reflecting, or maybe it’s a tactic to put pressure on you - and to actively listen to what the buyer is saying;
• to be prepared to deal with price concessions; by changing the value proposition (part of the give and take of negotiations), such as payment terms, production times, and so on;
• to get agreement first on the small items to move the negotiations forward – for example, get agreement on delivery turn-around times;
• to keep a clear record of the discussion and agreement; and prior to the end of the negotiation, to review that record with the buyer;
• to ensure that the sales person thanks the buyer for their time; and for the order if the negotiation concludes successfully;
• to ensure that if the negotiation does not result in an order, that the sales person leaves the door open for the next time, or in case the buyer changes his/her mind.

Don't burn your bridges! There have been numerous times where one of my clients has thought they lost the order, only to find that the competitive proposal couldn't deliver on an element of the order and therefore the sale went to my client. Good negotiations can result in orders; patience (and, in this example, following a good RFP template) can result in the sale.

After the negotiation concludes, whether the buyer buys, or not, ensure that your sales person does a ‘lessons learned’ review; including what moved the negotiations forward and what stalled negotiations.

Sales negotiation training can help your sales team increase their sales effectiveness, which, in turn, will help you to achieve your sales plan and business growth.

Train your sales staff how to be more effective, how to sell in a way that both the customer and you win, and how to build your business’ reputation and credibility.

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