Games people play in negotiations :-
As I mentioned before if you think that your customer does not know the sales pitch you are giving it to him then you are absolutely wrong, You go through the intense training session learning how to handle a customer likewise they also go through the training to learn how to handle the vendors or how to twist your arm in negotiation, that is the reason why sometimes you get some objection at the start or the middle of the call, that makes you defensive and then the customer negotiates with you.
Mind you negotiation is not compromise- please do not misunderstand that negotiation is a kind of compromise people do so both get something and not everything. Compromise is always short term Collaboration is long term. The best negotiation will be if both the parties keeps their intentions open on the table and think about how both can be in a win- win situation. Now you must be thinking that a customer would never tell you how much exactly he or she can pay, Well then you need to start it first, there is no harm in telling the customer that you are looking out for a amicable solution and have a win-win situation here rather than competing with the customer and trying to get the best deal, there is a possibility that both the parties can get the best deal- what is required here is the trust, openness and exchange of information with the customer.
People play a lot of tricks to win the negotiation, but is that a real negotiation? How much time will it last? Because it is evident that one fine day a person will come to know the trick and then you are in trouble. I would like to give an example of one of the tricks people play……..In my previous company my job was to training and coach people to do things in a right way, but the sales guys were just following the process without any understanding and it was fake. I took a formal appointment with the Sales Director of the company and thought that it has to flow from the top… to my surprise the Sales Director also did not believe in the process but he said if I can convince him that the process brings results, then he would follow it….Now even the Sales Director is a sales person hence he requires proofs, we decided to meet next Wednesday, I prepared for the meeting in all possible way…. When I entered his room he greeted and told me that I am wearing a very nice shirt, the color was very nice and also told me that it has a strange collar. While I was happy with the compliment the last statement made me think, Am I wearing a old fashion shirt? Is there any problem in the designing of the shirt? Is the collar looking too weird? Is everyone is the office talking about it? Now these were the thought
s in my mind while the sales director was busy negotiating with me on why do we measure few performance indicators in the company, it was soon before I understood that its just the tactic or trick to make me think something else while I wont concentrate on the negotiation and he would win, but it didn’t happen…somehow I came to know it was just the trick and then I focused totally on the negotiation and convinced him that he and his people should follow that process., and before I could leave his office told him that the shirt I was wearing is the latest fashion which has not come to India as of now and soon everyone will be wearing the same thing. He understood that I understood the trick, he smiled and told me thanks.
The lesson from the above example for the sales guys is not to start reading and knowing about the tricks people play… not everyone can know everything, but to be more focused on the goal and every time you do it think that it’s a last time you are doing it- give you best shot every time.