Across our part of Michigan, we have a vast array of industries that involve clients and negotiation. Some are small and involve antiques or baseball cards; and some are historically associated with Detroit and the surrounding counties in Southeast Michigan. The automobile industry and its dealership networks survive on the premise of negotiating for profit. Across sales and customer service training, the best professionals negotiate well.
Clients like negotiating for four main reasons:
- They want a better deal than they would have gotten without the discussion
- They have a invested interest in the product or service (need)
- They can focus on the outcome
- They think of negotiation as a win or a loss
Sales professionals negotiate for four slightly different reasons:
- They can involve alternative choices and options
- They can use discounting or concessions as a strategy to close
- They can use the relationship as an opportunity for growth
- They can fall back and involve both management and company resources (help)
It is interesting to note that every close has a different technique, yet there is only one common close, the successful one. There are things Carnegie- focused salespeople do every day.
- They build trust and rapport: If the client does not feel comfortable, nothing will happen. Be sincere and create a solid connection.
- They form a partnering: Commonality and early agreement can build to good negotiation.
- They ask the right questions: A.S.K. (apply strategy and knowledge) what the client like about the product or service. And then listen.
- They ask for the business: Many salespeople do not want to hear rejection. Yet they are reluctant to ask the client because they are afraid of losing the deal. A high percentage of salespeople never ask for the order. Good salespeople ask every time.
If the first half of the process, greeting, fact finding and presentation go well, usually the negotiation and close are successful too. With Dale Carnegie Training, it is about the people; everything else is in second place.
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This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @MICarnegie.
photo credit: pptback.com
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