---
title: "In Sales, Revolution Is Bargaining"
description: "A reminder: click the 'FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting' above to learn more about marketing and distributor internal management. The article discusses the importance of bargaining in sales, illustrated by anecdotes and strategies such as using the 'late-mover advantage', protecting bargaining power, and employing the 'two steps forward, one step back' tactic."
author: "左华"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-01-08"
language: "en"
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---

# In Sales, Revolution Is Bargaining

> A reminder: click the 'FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting' above to learn more about marketing and distributor internal management. The article discusses the importance of bargaining in sales, illustrated by anecdotes and strategies such as using the 'late-mover advantage', protecting bargaining power, and employing the 'two steps forward, one step back' tactic.

**Reminder: Click the 'FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting' above to learn more about marketing and distributor internal management.**

A few days ago, I went shopping with my family. My family told me that on this street, you must bargain hard. I didn't expect it to be so hard, and I witnessed a classic bargaining scene: "How much?" "18 yuan!" "Are you trying to rob me? 2 yuan!" "16 yuan!" "Still too expensive, 4 yuan!" "I'll come down a bit, 14 yuan." "I'll add a bit, 6 yuan!" "The lowest is 12 yuan, otherwise I won't make any money." "The highest is 8 yuan, otherwise I'll go to another store." "Forget it, I'll give it to you at cost, 10 yuan!" "Then 10 yuan it is, let you earn a bit!" Look how dramatic their bargaining was, back and forth, and finally they closed at 10 yuan!

Some might scoff at this, thinking that only street vendors bargain. Dragging it out is boring; why not just be straightforward and close at 10 yuan directly? Is that possible? Who knew beforehand that 10 yuan was the best price for both sides? Unless God appeared, only through bargaining could they find it. In other words, bargaining has a magical power like God, allowing the best transaction price to emerge between buyer and seller.

From a broader perspective, in sales, bargaining happens every moment!

For example, at the beginning of the year when targets are assigned, you need to learn to bargain with your boss; when allocating sales expenses, you need to persuade your boss to invest more in your region; when visiting customers, discussing prices and expense investments, you must bargain. From an economic perspective, bargaining itself is a concrete method of creating the art of living, with profound mysteries behind it!

**Learn to Use the 'Late-Mover Advantage'**

Let's look at a short story: There was a clever little boy. His mother took him to a grocery store. The owner saw the cute child and opened a jar of candy, telling him to take a handful himself. But the boy didn't move. So the owner grabbed a big handful and put it in his pocket. Back home, his mother curiously asked why he didn't grab the candy himself. The boy answered cleverly: "Because my hands are smaller! And the owner's hands are bigger, so he must have grabbed much more than I could!"

What a clever little boy! In actual work, many of our sales representatives don't use the 'late-mover advantage'. When the customer says it's too expensive, the sales rep immediately lowers the price; when the customer says the sales expenses are too low, the sales rep immediately says they can apply to the company for adjustments; when the customer says the policy requires a 30-point reduction, the sales rep immediately says they can apply for 25 points.

This story tells us that we must be patient, not reveal important details, and let others think you won't act. When the opponent is eager to take advantage of your delay, you can strike back forcefully.

In fact, this principle is common in our daily lives: experienced shoppers stroll through malls unhurriedly, even if they really want to buy something, they don't show it to the store staff; while experienced staff always use clichés like "This item sells well, it's the last one" to entice customers.

**Protect Your Bargaining Power**

Another short story: Xiao Li moved into a high-rise and had a dozen potted plants with nowhere to put them, so he hired someone to install a flower rack outside the window. On the day the worker came, he took a day off to supervise. Boss Zhang arrived with his apprentice. He was indeed experienced. On the 17th floor, he swung one leg out the window, sat firmly on the sill, then had his apprentice hand him the flower rack. He took steel nails from his mouth and hammered them into the wall. In no time, the job was done.

Xiao Li asked worriedly if the rack was sturdy. Boss Zhang patted his chest confidently and said, "Three adults can stand and jump on it, guaranteed to last 20 years." Hearing this, Xiao Li immediately found a piece of paper and handed a pen to Boss Zhang, asking him to write it down and sign. Seeing Xiao Li's serious expression, Boss Zhang hesitated. Xiao Li added, "If you don't dare to write it, it means it's not sturdy. I can't accept something that isn't sturdy." Boss Zhang reluctantly wrote a guarantee, put down the pen, glared at his apprentice, and said, "Get the tools out, go out and hammer in a few more long nails! If something goes wrong, we'll be in big trouble." With that, the master and apprentice worked for another half hour, checking repeatedly before leaving.

The lesson from this story is: you must protect your bargaining power and use it fully while you still have it. In other words, in the sales process, reach a payment agreement and negotiate the discount rate before shipping goods. Don't wait until the goods are shipped, or you'll lose your bargaining power.

**Use the 'Two Steps Forward, One Step Back' Strategy**

What is 'two steps forward, one step back'? It's simple: at the start of bargaining, knowing that your demands and suggestions will inevitably be opposed, you first propose many harsh, unattainable requirements, deliberately expanding the conflict and blurring the key issues, thereby causing broader dissatisfaction. Then, you take a small step back, make a concession, resolve some secondary contradictions, sacrifice some minor interests, and display a 'noble' image of 'one step back, vast sea and sky'. In this way, on the surface, you achieve a win-win, but in reality, you further encroach on the other party's interests, achieve your goals, and maximize the benefits you most urgently need.

In fact, bargaining is needed in many aspects of life, even in love and marriage. Think about it, isn't that so? Love itself has a bargaining mechanism. If both parties can find a common point, they can get married; otherwise, they may break up. So free love is more progressive than arranged marriage because it allows bargaining. Marriage, once a contract is formed, is settled and no longer has a bargaining mechanism. The old saying 'Men fear entering the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man' speaks to the severity of such consequences.

**Revolutionary Work Knows No High or Low**

Dao Nong recently opened a public account specifically about how traditional enterprises can do WeChat marketing. If you're interested, you can follow it. Search for the WeChat ID above or scan the QR code below to follow.

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