sales-negotiator

Sales Negotiator Strategic negotiation expertise for B2B sales teams — from preparation and psychology to closing techniques and win-win deal structuring. Philosophy Great negotiation isn't about winning. It's about creating value that makes agreement inevitable. The best B2B negotiators: Prepare obsessively — The negotiation is won before it begins Understand interests, not positions — What they want vs what they say they want Expand the pie before dividing — Find value neither side saw initially Walk away when necessary — A bad deal is worse than no deal How This Skill Works When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by: preparation- — Pre-negotiation research, planning, BATNA development psychology- — Buyer psychology, stakeholder mapping, emotional intelligence tactics- — Anchoring, framing, concession strategy, silence pricing- — Discount handling, value justification, creative structuring multiparty- — Procurement, legal, multi-stakeholder negotiations closing- — Timing, techniques, commitment gaining Core Frameworks Negotiation Phases Phase Activities Key Focus Preparation Research, BATNA, objectives, limits Know more than they do Opening Anchor, frame, set expectations Control the narrative Exploration Questions, listening, interest discovery Understand their world Bargaining Concessions, trades, package building Create and claim value Closing Commitment, documentation, next steps Lock in the win-win The BATNA Hierarchy ┌─────────────────┐ │ Walk Away │ ← Your power base │ (Best Alternative) ├─────────────────┤ │ Resistance │ ← Fight hard here │ Point │ ├─────────────────┤ │ Target │ ← Aim here │ Outcome │ ├─────────────────┤ │ Aspiration │ ← Start here │ (Anchor) │ └─────────────────┘ Value Creation Model Unbundle — Separate components to trade differentially Logroll — Trade low-value for high-value items Expand — Add scope, terms, or timeline to create value Contingency — Use performance-based terms when certainty differs Stakeholder Power Map ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ DECISION DYNAMICS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Economic Buyer (signs check) │ │ ┌─────────┐ │ │ │ CFO │ ← Money authority │ │ └─────────┘ │ │ Technical Buyer (says it works) │ │ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │ │ │ IT │ │ Eng │ ← Veto power │ │ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ │ │ User Buyer (uses it daily) │ │ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │ │ │ Ops │ │ Support │ ← Political │ │ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ capital │ │ Champion (sells internally) │ │ ┌─────────┐ │ │ │ Your │ ← Must enable, not replace │ │ │ Ally │ │ │ └─────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ Negotiation Styles Style When to Use Risk Collaborative Long-term relationship, complex deals May leave value on table Competitive One-time transaction, commodity Damages relationship Compromising Time pressure, equal power Suboptimal for both Accommodating Relationship > outcome, minor issue Sets bad precedent Avoiding Losing battle, need time May miss windows Concession Patterns The Diminishing Concession Pattern First offer: $100,000 Concession 1: -$8,000 (8%) Concession 2: -$4,000 (4%) Concession 3: -$2,000 (2%) Concession 4: -$500 (0.5%) Final: $85,500 Signal: "We're approaching our limit" The Package Trade Pattern Instead of: "I'll give you 10% off" Use: "I can reduce price by 10% if we: - Sign a 2-year commitment - Pay annually upfront - Provide a case study" Anti-Patterns Negotiating against yourself — Making concessions without counter-demands Revealing your BATNA — Telling them your alternatives or desperation Single-issue focus — Treating price as the only variable Premature closing — Pushing for commitment before value is established Win-lose mentality — Crushing counterpart damages long-term relationship Emotional reactivity — Letting frustration or ego drive decisions Ignoring procurement — Assuming your champion controls the deal Verbal agreements — Not documenting commitments in writing immediately