10 x Negotiation Tactics To Close More Sales
If you’re in sales, you’ll eventually come across a gridlock situation – this is where negotiation tactics can play a hand and create a win, win situation.
Using negotiation tactics can help you get to your ideal outcome, and also help your client walk away from the deal as a winner.
In this article, we’ll share ten negotiation tactics to help you close more sales, in a consultative and non-pushy way.
10 x Negotiation Tactics To Close More Sales
Negotiation Tactics Before The Meeting
1 – Qualify Early
The first tip on our list of negotiation tactics, is to qualify your potential clients and sales leads prior to meeting up for your sales conversation or meeting.
You can be a very persuasive Sales Professional; however, if you’re meeting with people who don’t qualify for your offer or service, then no negotiation tactics are going to work.
We recommend prior to your sales conversation, to do something called a discovery call.
A discovery call is a quick opportunity to introduce yourself and learn whether or not they’ll be an ideal client to work with.
You should also use this time to qualify them as to whether they’ll benefit from your product or service, and whether or not it’ll be worth the time, resources and effort in meeting them for a sales meeting/ conversation.
To learn how to qualify your potential clients effectively, read the linked article directly below.
Further reading: Qualifying Sales Leads – A Step By Step Guide
2 – Meet Earlier Rather Than Later
The second on our list of negotiation tactics, is to arrange to meet with your potential clients earlier on in the day; rather than later on when they’ve had a busy day and have already met with your competition.
Let’s pretend you’ve qualified some potential clients and have arranged to meet with them.
If you meet with them later on in the day; they’re probably going to be tired from already having a busy schedule and aren’t going to have the energy to have an open, deep diving conversation.
And you’ll need that to consistently win sales.
This puts you at a negotiation disadvantage, because they’re not going to be completely invested in coming to an amicable decision.
Secondly – if they’re meeting with you to invest in a product or service, the chances are that they probably would have meet with your competition throughout the day.
One of our negotiation tactics, is to meet early because this positions you as the standard.
You become the benchmark, and everyone they meet with after will naturally be compared to you.
If you do an outstanding job, everyone else will be playing catch up.
Related article: 5 x Negotiation Tips To Win More Sales
Negotiation Tactics At The Start Of The Meeting
3 – Use A Pre-Frame
In our online sales training course, The 5% Sales Blueprint; we teach the importance of pre-framing the conversation prior to going into question or presentation mode.
This makes our list of negotiation tactics, because when used correctly – it can eliminate sales objections from coming up later.
Think of a sales conversation as a frame – they’ll frame their situation, their pain points, and what they want to achieve.
When you present – you’ll be re-framing any objections and demonstrate how you are the ideal solution for what they need.
The pre-frame is the conversation prior.
During your pre-frame, you want to cover:
- Let them know you’ll be asking them a lot of questions, because you want to make sure you can in fact help them
- That all decision makers are present (eliminate the I need to speak to objection)
- Give them permission to say no, if you’re not the right for (removal of sales resistance, and eliminate the I need to think about it objection)
To learn how to use a pre-frame correctly, read the related article linked below.
Related article: Positioning In Sales – How To Sell Effectively
4 – Build Subconscious Rapport
Building rapport is a part of our negotiation tactics list, because when done correctly – it can elicit powerful results.
Most people think of rapport as saying hello, asking how their day has been, and making simple chit chat.
Rapport is so much more than that.
Rapport means to create commonality, trust, and understanding.
A great way to do this, is by using both conscious and subconscious cues.
Mirroring subtly instructs your potential client subconsciously, that you’re both similar on a deeper level.
Mirroring is generally focused around three key areas in the communication ratio:
- Body language (55%)
- Tonality (38%)
- Our words (7%)
By building subconscious rapport, you’ll allow your potential client to communicate with you a lot more effectively; as well as have a better opportunity of persuading and influencing them.
Related article: A Guide To Building Sales Relationships / Building Rapport
Negotiation Tactics During The Meeting
5 – Let Them Know They’re Not Alone
During the sales conversation, you’ll be expected to ask a lot of sales probing questions to learn more about their situation, pain, desired outcomes, and much more.
One of our recommended negotiation tactics is when they respond with issues and pain points that they may be dealing with, let them know they’re not alone.
When you give examples of other clients you currently serve who are just like them, it subconsciously lets them know that other people have been in their position before – and are now working with you.
It also gives them permission to open more, revealing more pain points for you to effectively address at the end during your sales presentation.
Case studies demonstrate your ability to solve issues similar to theirs, as well as makes you a lot more relatable.
It’s also a powerful negotiation tactic because it can help prevent stalling and back and forth negotiation later.
6 – Help Them Sell Themselves
A favourite on our list of negotiation tactics, is using something called tie-down sales techniques.
When you make a statement, a proposition or comment – your potential client may or may not completely believe what you say. They may feel sceptical.
However, when you follow up a statement or comment with a question that they agree with, they’ll now believe what you say.
Because, they just agreed.
These are called tie-down sales techniques.
One of the best negotiation tactics to use is to help people sell themselves, rather than you do all the selling yourself.
This prevents tension, stalling, and makes them feel the whole thing was their idea in the first place.
Related article: Tie-Down Sales Techniques – Your Ultimate Guide
Negotiation Tactics At The End Of The Meeting
7 – Present To Their Issues
Another important one of our negotiation tactics, is presenting your product or service in a way that clearly demonstrates how you solve their deep pain points.
A lot of back and forth negotiation conversation stems from presenting your product or service on the surface level.
Speaking about features and benefits, and how it works.
This doesn’t speak to why they’re meeting with you in the first place – to solve their pain points and get them their desired result.
People buy meaning – they buy what it will mean when they own a product or service.
By presenting in a way that demonstrates how you solve their issues and get them their desired result, you’ll be showing them the meaning of doing business with you.
Bridging the gap and demonstrating how each of your features will give their desired outcomes and eliminate their pain, will prevent stalling negotiation type conversations or back and forth banter.
Read the linked article below to learn more.
Related article: 10 x Effective Sales Presentation Tips You Need To Use
8 – Pause After Presenting & Asking For The Sale
Another on our list of negotiation tactics, is pausing after you present and ask for the sale.
Many Sales Professionals and Business Owners will present their offer, ask for the sale, and then nervously fill in the blank of uncertainty with small talk or revisiting their idea.
This will dramatically hurt your situation, and will can result in a negotiation war.
When you fill in the gap with more chatter, you’re subconsciously reveal that you’re feeling nervous; and perhaps – there’s a reason why you should be?
This makes your potential client feel uneasy, and calls for them to question your offer, price, and solution.
Instead, a strong negotiation tactic is to present, ask for the sale, and then wait.
Let them think and ponder the offer.
Once you’ve offered, it’s important to stay quiet because you’ll be communicating that you stand by your presentation, price, and solution.
This is important, because right now your potential client wants to feel certainty.
The fact that you’re so certain, will make them feel certain too.
Negotiation Tactics After The Meeting
9 – Compliment Them On Taking Action
Directly after they agree to work with you, it’s important to quickly compliment and congratulate them on taking action.
Although they’ve agreed, there’s a part of them that may still feel a bit uncertain because they’re going to feel change.
That’s why it’s important to compliment them right after they agree.
After any negotiation, you should always compliment their skills and make them feel at ease that they got excellent value from the process and deal.
If they feel complimented, there’s a higher chance that they’ll sign the paperwork and ensure the on-boarding process is a lot more seamless.
10 – Follow Up With A Summary
Finally, our last negotiation tactic is to get your agreement in writing as soon as possible.
Don’t wait for them to summarise; one of our negotiation tactics is to be the first to draft up the summary (most probably by email), and detail what was discussed, and agreed upon.
Like tie downs; by putting in writing what you’ll action, what you agreed to, and what you expect from them and what they agreed to; you’ll get agreement and formal buy in from your new client.
Thank them for their time, for their business and the opportunity.
Final Thoughts On These Negotiation Tactics
These ten negotiation tactics will help you close more sales, because they’ll proactively help you from getting into a price war, or a back and forth negotiation struggle in the first place.
Prevention is always better than the cure, and in this case – these proactive negotiation tactics will help you prevent most negotiation issues from arising.
If you’re driven to want to close more consistent sales, register for the free 7 Day Sales Challenge by clicking the link here.
Want To Close Sales Easier?
Are you committed to closing sales a lot easier, and consistently?
If so, you should check out our self-paced and affordable online sales training program; The 5% Sales Blueprint.
It’ll give you everything you need to close sales consistently.
To learn more, simply click on the link below for more information.
Our Online Sales Training Program – The 5% Sales Blueprint.
