If you don't get his newsletter, you should. This is from Jeffrey Gitomer:
HELP! I need to get better at negotiation!
Eh, no Sparky, you need to get better at everything else so that you NEVER have to negotiate – or at least negotiate 90% less.
Negotiation is for people who are lousy at selling, don’t understand buying motives, haven’t provided value, are unable to differentiate themselves from the competition, can’t build trust, and have utterly failed at building relationships.
Maybe that’s why you have to “negotiate.”
Negotiation is not a problem. It’s a symptom.
And negotiate is only one of three words that make up your reality, and the real definition. The other two words are: your price. Negotiations are all about “concessions” and back and forth bickering about what you provide and how much it will cost. Negotiation “experts” call it give-and-take or win-win. That’s a bunch of crap. It’s lower your price, and sacrifice your profit.
I’m in the airplane as many as 20 times a month. In every airline magazine, there’s a two-page pullout ad for “effective negotiation.” It’s been in the magazines for years. It must work. I mean… they must be successful in selling the course.
Their latest ad campaign states in bold headlines, “It’s like steroids for your career!” Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t steroids illegal? Hey, you too can gain an unfair advantage! All you have to do is break the law. Sounds great – where do I sign up?
In the case of negotiation, it’s a violation of the law of fair play, manipulation, ethics, and relationship.
Reason you have to “negotiate?” You were calling on the wrong person or people in the first place.
REALITY: People in the C-suite don’t negotiate. They discuss, discern, and decide. And they do it based on perceived value and trust, not price.
Here’s the reality of why you have to negotiate:
• You failed to prove value beyond your competition.
• You failed to prove you were different from others selling the same product.
• You failed to gain enough trust to get a decision.
• You didn’t win on the lowest price, and they called you in to “match the price of the lowest vendor” and potentially win the business.
• You won the business at a low level, and were sent to procurement.
All upside down propositions (and you are at the bottom).
And, once you’re “in negotiations to get the business,” you’re relegated to manipulating and groveling to get the business – at a lower price, and less (or no) profit. Great move. And you call that making the sale. I call it a pyrrhic victory.
HELP! I need to get better at negotiation!
Eh, no Sparky, you need to get better at everything else so that you NEVER have to negotiate – or at least negotiate 90% less.
Negotiation is for people who are lousy at selling, don’t understand buying motives, haven’t provided value, are unable to differentiate themselves from the competition, can’t build trust, and have utterly failed at building relationships.
Maybe that’s why you have to “negotiate.”
Negotiation is not a problem. It’s a symptom.
And negotiate is only one of three words that make up your reality, and the real definition. The other two words are: your price. Negotiations are all about “concessions” and back and forth bickering about what you provide and how much it will cost. Negotiation “experts” call it give-and-take or win-win. That’s a bunch of crap. It’s lower your price, and sacrifice your profit.
I’m in the airplane as many as 20 times a month. In every airline magazine, there’s a two-page pullout ad for “effective negotiation.” It’s been in the magazines for years. It must work. I mean… they must be successful in selling the course.
Their latest ad campaign states in bold headlines, “It’s like steroids for your career!” Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t steroids illegal? Hey, you too can gain an unfair advantage! All you have to do is break the law. Sounds great – where do I sign up?
In the case of negotiation, it’s a violation of the law of fair play, manipulation, ethics, and relationship.
Reason you have to “negotiate?” You were calling on the wrong person or people in the first place.
REALITY: People in the C-suite don’t negotiate. They discuss, discern, and decide. And they do it based on perceived value and trust, not price.
Here’s the reality of why you have to negotiate:
• You failed to prove value beyond your competition.
• You failed to prove you were different from others selling the same product.
• You failed to gain enough trust to get a decision.
• You didn’t win on the lowest price, and they called you in to “match the price of the lowest vendor” and potentially win the business.
• You won the business at a low level, and were sent to procurement.
All upside down propositions (and you are at the bottom).
And, once you’re “in negotiations to get the business,” you’re relegated to manipulating and groveling to get the business – at a lower price, and less (or no) profit. Great move. And you call that making the sale. I call it a pyrrhic victory.
