The Business Source

It’s been said that if two people want to do business together, nothing will get in their way.  If they don’t want to do business together, anything will get in the way.

Negotiation is a part of life and here are some points to consider.

1.  Throw your fears out of the window. Don’t worry about rejection or being viewed as haggling, cheap or undignified.

2.  Know what you want and identify what’s really important to you.

3.  Know the field and get the facts.  If you know that a vendor doesn’t have the ability to come down to your price points, don’t try to get blood out of a turnip and adjust your terms.  If you know of someone else who is getting a sweeter deal, bring it up.  If a vendor’s competition is offering something special, give them a chance to match or beat it.

4.  Make sure that you’re playing with the players who have the authority to play ball.

5.  Never make assumptions about what is important to the person across the table.  Price is always an issue but it may not be “The Issue”.  Be empathetic and look at the situation from the other person’s perspective. What do they need to get out of the negotiations?

6.  Don’t be shy.  The world belongs to the lions and the worst that is going to happen is that you’ll be told “no”.

7.  Leave yourself wiggle room and try to keep things moving forward.    Don’t make everything so black and white that there is no room for shades of grey.  If you do you’re putting yourself in a box.

8.  Don’t rush the negotiating process.  Time can be your friend and let things play out as they evolve.

9.  Know which points you’re willing to give up or bend on and use them as chips.

10.  Listen, observe and take notes.

William F. Kendy
Copyright 2009
May reprint with permission of William F. Kendy

Each of us approaches the initial meeting with a new prospect differently.  It’s clear that proper preparation can be the action that leads to a successful outcome.  Both parties have expectations.  Understanding your prospects expectations and desired outcome almost always leads to a positive first impression.  Before your first meeting spend some time doing pre-meeting research on your prospect, their company and their industry.  Go online and scan your prospects website to learn what their primary area of expertise is and what products and services they are promoting.  Then Google that business category in your market to learn what your prospects competitors are doing.  Write a simple pre-meeting agenda highlighting the three key points you want to focus on during your initial meeting.  Email this to your prospect at least one week in advance of your meeting and invite them to review the agenda and add three points of their own to the pre-meeting agenda.  Also ask them to write down what their desired outcome is in order for them to view the meeting as successful. Then both parties have a stake in the meeting.  Create the final pre-meeting agenda with all points including your prospects desired outcome and now you can prepare to ask pertinent questions that will be in alignment with your prospects objectives.

I’ve been blessed with great training in my career.  My first day in radio sales was spent with Chris Lytle, author of the Accidental Salesperson and one of my bosses.  In fact working with Chris and his partner Sarah 15 years later was the life changing career experience that allowed me to start my own company.  Check out Sparque at www.sparque.biz. I strongly recommend Sparque’s actionable and attainable sales training results.

Additionally I’ve had the great fortune of training with and learning from Roy H. Williams at Wizard Academy in Austin, Texas.  Take the action necessary to visit the Academy, you’ll be glad you did.  www.wizardacademy.org will get you there.  It was with Roy in September 2000 that I first learned about “seussing”.  A creative writing technique used to invent new words.  “Predictability is deadly”, Roy said.  Roy taught me that when writing commercials, work to stay away from communicating the expected.  There is no surprise there and the words won’t stimulate Broca’s area in your brain to transfer the message from your working, short term memory to your visiospatial sketchpad.  Surprising or unusual words like those written in the Dr. Seuss books pass more easily through your brain’s sensory data process through Broca’s area and enters the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex area of the brain.  Roy is great at explaining how the brain works and how your message get’s processed.  Knowing the physiology of the brain and how data get’s taken in and processed is key to effective writing.  Read more and learn how “seussing” can open up new horizons in your writing and advertising skill in “Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads:  Tools and Techniques for Profitable Persuasion.  I promise you’ll enjoy the book.

Several years ago I received a book titled, “Seuss-isms For Success:  Insider Tips on Economic Health from the Good Doctor”, published by Dr. Seuss Enterprises with the introduction written by Tom Peters. In the weeks ahead I’ll share them all.  Today I like this one.  On corporate hierarchies and training; “It is good I have someone to help me,” he said.  “Right here in my hat on top of my head!  It is good that I have him here with me today.  He helps me a lot.  This is Little Cat A.  And then Little Cat A took the hat off his head.  “It is good to have someone to help me” he said.  This is Little Cat B.  And I keep him about, and when I need help, then I let him come out.”  From the Cat in the Hat Comes Back.

Business owners and sales people are driven to achieve goals.  The pressure to achieve your goals can create a sense of urgency that leads to anxiety and actions that can have a negative effect.  Setting specific dates for reaching goals sets up a win-lose situation.  Hit your goals by said date, you win.  Miss your goals by said date, you fail.  That’s one example of what I call “hard side” leadership and culture.  I believe you can have a high performance culture within a “soft side” leadership and goal setting environment.  If a person commits to the goal, and is focused on applying all resources and capabilities towards reaching that goal, would it be better to drill down and take the necessary actions to reach the goal?  Progress equals milestones.  Milestones equal achievement.  Achievement leads to reaching goals.

Most people are in a hurry these days.  Increasing sales gives sales people and companies the opportunity to innovate, invest and grow by hiring great employees, developing new solutions and products.

One key to creating harmony within yourself as you move towards achieving your goals is to be very good at strategic planning.  Sales people should plan as if the plan were there to support a business…your business.  Business owners should invest time in the planning process quarterly with the master planning session occurring in December for the new year ahead.

Know that if you plan well and use your plan to guide you towards your goals, you’ll find that you can minimize the concept of failure in your career and your company.  If you’re strategy is on target and you take action on the specifics of your plan, you’ll always be making progress and achieving milestones.

Being patient along the way will become easier if you know you’re on plan, even if your plan changes.  You may find that it’s really the journey that matters and what happens along the way is merely the struggle, the pains and the happiness that comes from your commitment to achieve something great for you and your customers.