At the 11th hour, the customer throws us a big curve. We invest months and years developing new business opportunities. We brainstorm with our clients to create valuable insights for them. We research their market conditions, customers, competition and their business plans. We help model ideal outcomes for them and mitigate their risk. We spend our company’s valuable resources only to find our … [Read more...]
ABN: Always Be Negotiating© – #Sales Tip
When does negotiating begin? Does it start at the end of the sale or earlier in the opportunity? Like most of you, I was trained that negotiations happen at the end of the sale, just before the close. Contrary to this axiom, I always believed negotiations begin at the beginning of the buying process. Is your prospect drawing you in? One morning 30-years ago, an inbound caller requested … [Read more...]
The Nuclear Bomb of Sales Responses
No is a power word. No is inflexible. No is final. No is a relational nuclear bomb. No painted me into corners of embarrassing finality. Saying no without sticking to my guns always weakened my position and eroded my customer’s confidence in me. A blunt no hurt negotiations, killed deals, and damaged relationships. Adversity to buying is the common climate of the sales environment. How we deal … [Read more...]