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Negotiation skills can be summarized in twenty characters: "Advance step by step, lure gradually, be polite and measured, neither humble nor pushy, and strike in time"!
◆ Advance step by step, lure gradually: Negotiation should be conducted step by step, solving one issue at a time. It should not be rushed; it requires planning and preparation.
(1) Negotiation is a planned strategy. A skilled salesperson, before negotiating with a client, lists all the steps and issues to be discussed, arranges them in order, and makes preliminary judgments on potential questions the client might raise.
In actual negotiations, it's common to be led by the client, mainly because there is no plan or clear strategy. If interrupted, you lose your main thread. After the talk, you realize you spent hours on one issue while other matters were never addressed, leading to failure. If you plan first and follow your planned approach, you can briefly answer the client's questions and immediately return to your original steps.
(2) Negotiation cannot be rushed. Some salespeople think the negotiation is complete once they've presented all the points, but then the client raises a barrage of questions that the salesperson can't solve, and nothing is accomplished.
For example: A manager sends a salesperson to arrange a promotion and settle a previous payment. The salesperson presents the promotion plan and immediately asks for payment. The client then raises a host of market issues, and the salesperson is overwhelmed, unable to solve any, so the payment is not made.
Why? Too fast! Wrong order! Before understanding the client's needs, avoid revealing your hand too quickly. Rearrange the negotiation steps and proceed one by one; the results will be vastly different. First, go to the client to understand the market situation. The client will likely raise many market issues. After they finish, tell them you've considered arranging a promotion to alleviate and solve the market problems, discuss next steps for the market, and finally bring up the payment. Would you, as the client, refuse to pay? Not paying would be unreasonable!
(3) Negotiation is a process of bargaining. Avoid stating all your problems at once; present them one by one and discuss solutions for each. Don't raise the second issue before the first is resolved; otherwise, you'll be dragged into a passive, unresolved new negotiation.
(4) Negotiation is a trap game. Deliberately set some benign "traps" to lure the client into compliance.
◆ Be polite and measured, neither humble nor pushy: Respect the client, but with principles and appropriateness.
Respecting others is a virtue, especially since "the customer is God." We need to listen to customer complaints and sometimes act as a "punching bag." Customers often just want to vent and find a listener.
However, I must emphasize: respect the client with principles and appropriateness.
In practice, some salespeople are completely obsequious, never daring to say "no." This is "overdoing it" or "going beyond the limit." I once accompanied a sales rep to dinner with a client. For three hours, the rep flattered the client endlessly: "You're amazing!" "Your business is huge!" "You're well-liked by everyone!" "We're most confident with you!" "You're our role model!" The client loved it, got carried away, and told us his entrepreneurial story. Three hours passed, and nothing was accomplished.
Some clients also like to show off and make things difficult for sales reps. With such clients, pure respect won't close the deal.
I once encountered a client who ran a large business and was our second-tier distributor, aspiring to become first-tier. Many company representatives visited and concluded he wasn't ready. When I visited, I introduced myself, and he immediately started berating me. I calmly but firmly said: "Manager, I know you have some misunderstandings about our company. I came to visit you out of courtesy, and you shouldn't treat me this way. Even if we bumped into each other on the street, you wouldn't treat a stranger like this. Moreover, you're still selling our products and want to continue, and you're making money! You shouldn't treat me like this. If there are problems, speak up. Times have changed, situations have changed. We can discuss and find solutions together!" He realized I was different from others, opened up about his complaints and reasons, and even apologized! We eventually did business and became good friends.
In negotiation, there's also a conflict between emotion and principles. Many salespeople build good relationships with clients but are afraid to explain institutionalized, standardized rules directly, fearing it might damage the friendship. They give vague explanations on policy issues, causing misunderstandings. When settlement time comes, conflicts arise, and they part on bad terms. Here, I emphasize a few points:
a. Don't reveal policy matters all at once; b. Don't make decisions on unclear matters without authorization; c. Listen carefully to customer complaints; d. Don't be vague on principle issues; explain them clearly.
◆ Strike in time: Be adept at identifying and seizing opportunities to close deals.
(1) Identify closing opportunities
What are closing opportunities? For example, after the client inquires about performance, features, and quality, then asks about price without objections, and then discusses after-sales service. At this point, the opportunity has arisen. If you answer all after-sales questions, the deal is almost sealed!
If the client only negotiates on price and raises no other questions, the opportunity is there. The salesperson just needs to explain "value for money" and "more than worth it" to dispel price doubts, and the deal can be closed immediately. Or after several rounds of bargaining, give a small concession and tell the client this is your bottom line—don't miss the chance.
(2) Use clever words to close
In retail, there's a statistic: 20% of customers plan to buy a specific product in advance, while 80% make purchase decisions on impulse. Most customers buy randomly and are heavily influenced by the salesperson. The salesperson's introduction, explanation, and service are key factors in their decision. Salespeople primarily influence customers through language, conversation, and questions. Research on failed deals shows they all failed to identify closing opportunities and didn't use conversation and questioning techniques to close. So sometimes we say, "If you didn't close, it's because you didn't speak well or ask well."
A. The most common conversation technique: the "two-point" method, where you offer the customer only two choices, both leading to a close.
Example 1: Ask the customer
a. "Will you buy one bag or one case of ** product?" b. "Will you buy one case or two cases of ** product?"
Example 2: When the customer asks, "Do you have ** product in red?"
Salesperson's answer: "No" (wrong answer)
Salesperson's answer: "We have yellow and blue, both very nice."
Also, use affirmative phrasing as much as possible.
Example 1: "Do you have a contact number?" (wrong) "What is your contact number?" (correct)
Example 2: "Do you want ** product?" (wrong) "How many pieces of ** product do you want?" (correct)
B. Use others' words to persuade
Skillfully quoting a third party's praise for your product can sometimes be very effective.
Example 1: When negotiation is deadlocked, a customer walks in and says, "I've used ** product; it works well." The situation changes instantly.
Example 2: In terminal sales, use the actions and endorsements of major accounts or well-known stores to persuade customers.
◆ Post-sale detail handling skills
Handling after the sale is a crucial part of the sales process; it determines whether the sale is truly complete and whether there will be repeat purchases. It involves contracts, payments, after-sales tracking, market operations, etc. Here, I mainly discuss how to build a friendship with the customer, developing them into friends and partners.
"Consultative" customer service: progress together with the customer.
(1) Have you ever recommended marketing or business magazines to customers? (2) Have you shared industry trends with customers? (3) Do you remember all customers' birthdays and call to wish them? (4) Have you shown customers the company's external website or searched for industry information together? (5) Have you advised customers on how to select new products at trade shows or expositions? (6) Have you discussed with customers how to plan their next business moves? (7) Have you suggested ways to manage sales staff? (8) Have you advised customers on building their own brands? ...
Ask yourself: What have you done for "consultative" customer service? Why do some salespeople achieve high performance with ease, while others struggle despite hard work? It's mainly due to differences in customer service. After completing routine business, complaint handling, and customer management, try implementing some of the above suggestions, enrich them, and put them into practice. What awaits you is—surprise!
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