Successful selling, without negotiating

There is a misconception among many that negotiation is a mandatory element of selling. This simply is not the case. If you sell effectively, you shouldn’t need to negotiate. If we can enhance the buyers ‘desire to buy’ by making an offer that meets their needs, this will reduce the buyers ‘requirements to negotiate’.

It is therefore imperative that we understand the buyers needs. Selling is after all described as “matching the benefits of your product or service to the needs of your customer, putting them together in a reasoned argument”. So how do we better understand the buyer’s needs? First and foremost, and quite logically, ask! One of the key skills of a good salesperson is listening (not the gift of the gab, as some may think!) In sales capability training we often refer to having one mouth, two ears, use it in that proportion.

To listen, we need to ensure we ask the right questions that probe and prompt to get to the nub of the need. Preparing in advance for the meeting with the buyer, researching their business and portfolio, checking for any news will mean you ask the pertinent questions. Using open questions (those that start with what, why, how, when, which etc.) means your buyer will need to respond with more than a yes or no answer. A good salesperson will listen, acknowledge, and pose some more logical follow up questions in response. This approach aids in developing an open conversation rather than a pitch. The buyer feels valued as you are listening to their needs and concerns.

Once we know the challenges and the need, we should then be able to make a proposition that meets with that need. If we have planned, questioned, and listened correctly and have a viable solution to meet the need an effective way to propose the idea in a structured way is by:

1. Understanding the Customer Needs
2. Get the Green Light
3. Sell the Benefits not the Features
4. Close the Deal

If the idea doesn’t meet the need, the buyer will simply say no, or make demands which means we then move into negotiation. Evidently, some buyers are trained to say no (sometimes up to 5 times!) even if the proposition is 100% right, they will challenge to squeeze a better, sometimes unviable deal. Don’t be pulled into that unnecessarily. If you have sold and listened correctly, be confident in your counter negotiation. Be prepared to walk away. If you truly understand the need, they will come back. Or continue to question and probe to why this doesn’t meet the need, you may find, they simply don’t have the answer!

Remember selling effectively, means the lesser need to negotiate!

If you want to sell more effectively and avoid negotiation, contact us at help@pureblueocean.com