
Professional sales negotiating skills and techniques
This master class transforms the way your salespeople (and managers who meet customers) negotiate price and contract terms, without ever risking an order. They learn how to counter the price negotiating tactics of customers (especially professional buyers) and negotiate more profitable sales.
European chemicals company reduced discounting
“Your in-company negotiating skills training has reduced the discounts given away by our sales teams and increased our profit margins. I love your training!”
Maggie Kessler, Dep. Chair and MD,
Banner Chemicals and Surfachem
A 10% discount reduces operating profit by 80%
Danger. Every 1% of sales discount your sales team gives away reduces your operating profit by 8%*. A 10% sales discount typically reduces the contribution to operating profit by 80%*. The thing is, you don’t need to give away your profit.
*A report on discounting by McKinsey and Company, based on companies with a 12.5% operating profit.
This master class gives your sales team the strategies and skills to hold their price, or price higher, increase your average selling price, easily contributing 10% to 30% more to your company’s operating profit - sometimes more - and with immediate effect. Do the sums, and judge for yourself the additional income and profit your business can achieve.
Examples of case studies in the training
A hotel chain cut out almost half of their room rate discounts using two easy-to-apply negotiating technique taught in the course.
A hygiene company added 12% to their average selling price, without ever losing a single customer, using two other techniques.
Buying behaviour is more challenging today
Price and terms and conditions negotiation is an every-day part of business-to-business selling today. However, buyers are often better trained in negotiating strategies and tactics than the sellers. Buyers are also in a stronger bargaining position as an increasing number of suppliers, many offering lower prices, compete to gain a share of the customer’s purse.
Managing unreasonable demands
Negotiating a sale should be a natural process of give and take, to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. However, the reality is often very different. Buyers make unreasonable demands, lie, stonewall, threaten you with competitors’ prices and even attack your integrity to achieve their cost-reduction targets.
And even after you agree a deal, some hit you with an additional list of demands, called nibbling, before they finally approve the order or contract.
Discover how to manage customer demands and deal with unreasonable buyer behaviour.
Role play sessions
Role play is a popular part of an in-company negotiation skills course. Your team members practice the key skills in a simulated ‘real life’ role-play, based on your own business and customers. Each team member role-plays, in turn, the part of the seller and the buyer. Everyone enjoys the challenge and the learning experience.
Background to this negotiating training
This training was developed from a negotiating skills course that I originally taught, over several years, for the EEF (The UK Engineering Employer's Federation), for professional buyers of many of the UK's manufacturing, engineering and defence companies.
More recently I ran a series of negotiating skills workshops in Europe, China and the USA for the legal teams of a leading global manufacturer. One hundred and twenty corporate lawyers and paralegals, employed by the company, learnt how to reduce compensation claims and legacy penalties, secure higher income from disposals and protect the profitability of major contracts.
The strategies and tactics used by professional buyers are examined and discussed during the course.
Does your sales team give away your company's income and profit?
How the training increases your sales income and profit
“Great presenter, learned a lot of skills I didn’t think I could use in negotiating. I was fully engrossed the whole time.”
Jane Rushmor, Account Manager. Xeptor (The largest independent distributors of IT equipment in Europe)