(SALES) The Negotiation Starts At "Hello"

2-22-2012

When do you think the negotiation begins? Upon delivery of your marketing plan? Remember the line from Jerry Maguire, "You had me at hello"? Savvy negotiators set the stage for successful negotiations by understanding that the negotiation starts at "hello."

The greatest negotiator I've ever known was my father. When I was growing up he would tell me stories about how he would establish his worth in the eyes of his customers from the moment he stepped in the door. As a young man, he started out selling refrigeration systems to restaurants. He would walk cold into a restaurant, where he didn't have an appointment, go straight past the bar and take a seat, or stand at a table in the rear. He'd then wait for someone to approach, to ask if he needed something. "Are you the owner?" he would ask. "No" came the reply. Then he would say, "I need to see the owner, please." At this point, because of the confidence and purpose he exhibited in commanding their attention, the individual would go find the owner.

If you set the stage at "hello," you will find that negotiating isn't a step at the end of the sales cycle, but a constant that evolves throughout the entire process. And where you finish will depend on how you start.

Take control. Herb Cohen (www.herbcohenonline.com) author of You Can Negotiate Anything, says, "Power is what you think it is," and that we can control more than we think in the negotiation. But Cohen believes that we often "underestimate our power and overestimate the power of the buyer." In fact, power really is up for grabs; you decide who's in control.

Differentiate yourself. What does your "hello" say about you? Are you asking for the prospect's attention or commanding it? What my father exhibited was a sense of importance, urgency, and permanence. He felt that by walking into the place of business and planting himself there, without asking permission, spoke volumes. Demonstrate you have something of value to share with the prospect, so they will not only want to do business with you, but need to do business with you.

People buy you first, or they buy nothing at all. When you call a prospect and they say, "I don't need to meet with you. We tried radio and it didn't work," what's your response? The effective negotiator sees this as a buying signal, for without an objection, there is no sale.

Seller: I'm sorry to hear of your prior experience, but it has no reflection on what I want to meet with you about. You didn't try with my company or, more importantly, with me. 

Now we're speaking to the "power of belief." The prospect is testing you to see how much you believe in yourself and your product.

Prospect: What difference would that make?

Salesperson: All the difference in the world. Do you cook? I do. Just following a recipe is not what makes me an excellent cook. I bring my own variations to each recipe. My friends often tell me that they use the same recipe, but they don't achieve the same results. Well, that is what I guarantee I'll do for you. We'll come up with a recipe for marketing your business that will be tailored to your needs. It will not be a cookie-cutter recipe anyone else could provide, but one only I can provide.

Believe in yourself, be unique, control the situation, and negotiate a win-win outcome.

Theresa Merrill is the Director of Business Development for Anovick Associates. She has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in NY, Boston and Atlanta working for Katz Communications, CBS, Tribune and Cablevision and can be reached at 201.444.2991 or by e-mail merrill.theresa@gmail.com
For more articles from Theresa GO HERE

(2/23/2012 1:13:31 AM)
No way, Jose! LMFAO!

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