Do we have to negotiate to be successful in sales?
Think about this question for a bit before answering.
This may take some people by surprise, but I love to say that it is possible to be extremely successful in sales without negotiating. The reason is simple — If you’re successful in selling, then you don’t have to negotiate.
Selling is all about getting the customer to share with you their needs and the benefits they want satisfied. Selling is about you showing the customer how what your offering is going to benefit them and at a price/value relationship they can understand and appreciate.
If you’re accomplishing these things, then there is no need to negotiate with the customer because there is nothing to negotiate. Negotiation only has to occur when the customer does not see the full value of the product or service offering you’re making.
If you’re doing your job in a superior manner from a sales perspective, then negotiating is not necessary.
My perspective is that far too many salespeople jump too quickly into negotiating with the customer, and the only reason they do so is because they’ve done a poor job in selling the customer. When the salesperson does this, the end result only gets worse for them. The reason being is because they start negotiating without even having a clear understanding of the customer’s needs and desired benefits.
Average and poor salespeople do this as their way of trying to save a sale. Yes, they may close the sale, but they’ll do it either at a reduced price or by offering something additional to the customer. In either case, they’ve given up something they didn’t have to if they had been more successful with their selling process.
One quick rule: Unless the customer has told you at least 3 needs they have or benefits they desire with which you know you can help them, there is no sense in even thinking about negotiating. You’ll only wind up losing.
Copyright 2012, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
