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Articles
The Most Important Negotiation in the
Sales Profession
by Bob Gibson
Your most important negotiation with any customer is the first
one. That’s
because the first negotiation sets the tone for everything that
follows.
I find salespeople
worldwide giving in - leaving money on the table at the beginning,
to “enhance the relationship.” This
is the worst time to cave in. Most contracts are to be reviewed
and hopefully renewed in the future, often a year or two, or even
three. While the tendency to give in at this stage of the
game may be natural, experience shows that if you give away the
farm in the beginning to “get your foot in the door” it
is next to impossible to negotiate a better deal the next round. You
have not only undercut the profit for this deal, but probably for
the next several years.
I love golf
and one of my favorite golf stories comes from the late great
Harvey Pennick. It seems that one of Mr. Pennick’s
students found himself in the rough on the right – thick
in the trees. Mr. Pennick asked him, “What kind of
shot are you planning to hit from here?’ The student
replied, ”I’m going to hit a low fade to stay under
the branches and land 30 yards in front of the green, then roll
it up to the flag.” Harvey put his hand on the man’s
shoulder and told him, “If you could hit a shot like that,
you wouldn’t be over here.”
That same principle
applies to the sales process. It takes
a good negotiator to articulately build value and forge a profitable
deal. It takes a masterful negotiator to change the dance once
the song has begun. If you can’t bring in profitable
business the first time around, don’t make the mistake of thinking
you can do it later. This is your best shot. Do a good
deal now.
Bob Gibson is a negotiation strategist and the president
of San Francisco-based Negotiation Resources
He may be reached at 800-572-8005.
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