B2B Street Fighting Blog

a common trap when negotiating...

Posted by Marie Dudek Brown on Fri, Jan 25, 2013 @ 11:24 AM

a common trap when negotiatingA very common trap, one that surprisingly enough is even taught by some business negotiating books, is that we make only one offer.  What does this accomplish?  Since deals always involve making multiple buying influencers happy, one offer most likely focuses on addressing the needs of only one buyer but not all of them.  It communicates that you have assessed their situation and are now in the best position to tell them what they need most.  And it immediately sets up a competitive atmosphere:  if they disagree, they have what they need to shop around, whether for a better price or more features for the same price.

By shifting your perspective from simply offering one best-effort "deal" to a choice of deals that address different business relationships, you give customers choices they didn't know they would have from one seller.  Each offer variation focuses on value and problem solving in slightly different ways, addressing the needs of different influencers in the customer organization and letting them choose what's more important.

Would you like to know more?  Below you may request an article to be sent to your email entitled Are Your Negotiation Techniques Sabotaging Your Business Relationships?


Click me

Tags: business negotiations

Think! named to Inc. list of
America's fastest growing private companies

Think! named to Inc. 500|5000

about this blog

The B2B Street Fighting blog brings you the latest on what's happening in the real world of business negotiation.

Contact Think!


complete below to get NEW posts
delivered to you

our must-read books on business negotiation

Whether you are in sales or procurement, we have the books you need to read.

For sales professionals:

B2B Street Fighting

For procurement professionals:

negotiation blueprinting for buyers

 

Sales-Negotiation-Training-