Negotiation Skills: Don’t Celebrate When Things Go Your Way

As a salesperson, it feels good to have a negotiation go well.  I will be the first to admit that when a negotiation outcome is positive, a natural tendency is to want to celebrate.  Possibly your excitement spills forth right then and there in  your body language, your words and your tone.  Beware though.  A different approach would be the wiser choice.

When you celebrate the outcome of a negotiation, it sends the signal to the other party that you have taken advantage of them.  Sure, this isn’t the message you are meaning to send.  And certainly you aren’t trying to intentionally jeopardize the relationship.  But the customer doesn’t interpret things that way.  All they see and hear is your excitement, and they wonder if possibly you’ve pulled something off that left them on the short end of the deal.

Try this approach instead.  When the negotiation concludes, genuinely thank the customer in the same manner you would if you simply had made the sale without the negotiation.  Don’t exhibit an unnecessary level of enthusiasm.

A genuine thank you affirms what what you know to be true — that both you and the customer have benefited from the interaction.  The customer is receiving benefits from your product or service.  You and your company are making an appropriate amount of profit.

A negotiation is merely another step in a long-term process. It is part of building a positive relationship with a customer — a relationship from which future sales will likely come.

For more tips on successful negotiations, check out this negotiation checklist for a successful outcome.

Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.

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