I have the opportunity to talk with many buyers. I assure you, there are some negotiating secrets they don’t want you to know.
Confessions from a buyer:
1. My goal is to always keep the face-to-face meetings short.
Keeping meetings short helps to keep the salesperson guessing, and when they start guessing, they tend to offer better deals. Just as the salesperson is about to leave the office, I always make one more quick request to test them and to put even more doubt in their mind about me.
2. Making demands via voicemail is a great way to get more from the salesperson.
Making demands using voicemail prevents the salesperson from trying to counter the demand. By not putting it in writing, it also allows for last minute changes to get an even better deal from the salesperson
3. Being slow to respond to a salesperson’s email or phone call helps make them feel I’m not interested.
The longer it takes to respond, the more the salesperson will come to believe the offer they made is not good enough. Simply waiting a couple of days to respond to an email can oftentimes scare the salesperson into believing the offer isn’t good enough.
4. I’m not going to put anything in writing unless I absolutely have to.
When something is put in writing, it eliminates the ability to make last minute changes to get even more from the salesperson. At the same time, however, I always demand the salesperson put everything in writing to give me the power of knowledge I can then use against them.
5. It’s great to make the salesperson believe I have multiple vendors I’m considering.
Even if there is not another vendor, the salesperson doesn’t need to know that. By always saying things like “we’ll compare it with the others,” I know I can usually get a better price from the salesperson. No matter how much I may want to do business with them, I don’t let them get that sense from me.
6. Slow is better. I never admit I’m in a rush to buy anything.
Salespeople always believe a slow buyer is an unmotivated buyer. It is amazing how the offer will get better when I take my time making a decision.
Want to learn more about dealing with purchasing departments and buyers? Visit my extensive article section on the topic.
Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
