Fixing the Cart Before the Horse
The salesperson was caught between instruction from opposing sides – that of her sales manager and her client. On the one hand, the salesperson could be in rough waters believing she would be fired if she didn’t follow her manager’s advice. Yet, the sale would very well be lost if she went against the client.
If you were the salesperson unable to convince the two to negotiate a conclusion, which side would you take?
1. Remain calm
Calm always works best. Rather than make an immediate decision, schedule time to have a conversation with yourself. Only you will intuitively figure out the better route to take. Examine the pros and cons of each side in order to weigh benefits and find the loopholes for improvement.
2. Create a balance sheet for pros and cons
List the negatives and positives for each thought, side by side. Is the discussion still evenly tied, or are you beginning to see a winner emerge?
Take your time to move from the largest perspective downward to consider all possible ramifications for moving in either direction. Add additional pros and cons to the tally.
3. Caring
When you discover the clear winning argument, consider why the opposing person will care. What will they have to gain to motivate them to move to the final decision that favors the other party? Sales and negotiation are gained by speaking directly to the other party’s needs, wants and deep down desires, even in settling arguments or with negotiations.
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4. Concession
Do your best to get some type of concession from the winning party, so that the person, who needs to concede the most, will feel less angry and more positive about moving forward. In the case of the referred to scenario, the sales manager realized that the client should come first and ultimately the sale would be gained. He admitted the client’s perspective should come first.
Negotiating with ease demonstrates both your leadership ability for career as well as potential customer service. Ultimately you build relationships with all concerned when done well. Working to find the united front together, leads to future and many ‘a Smooth Sale!
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Read Addtional Strategies and Techniques:
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press
