“My budget is tight - and for me to be able to buy this gallon of mayonnaise here at Costco today, I need 10% off?”
“I know this ‘bowl two games, get a third one free’ coupon expires on Saturday, but I’m afraid I’m on vacation this weekend. Will you hold the price until Monday?”
“You’re making me pay for all of these onion rings, but I only will eat a couple of them. Can we adjust the price of those to how many I plan to eat?”

Why don’t we ask for concessions like this?

It’s not because these are cheap things - I mean, you probably drive an extra distance to save a couple of pennies on gas, right?

We don’t, subconsciously, because of a belief that:
a) The pricing and terms are established: You have confidence that the price is the price. There’s flexibility…you can pay with cash, or a credit card, and on some sites, you can finance, but it’s established.

b) We have confidence that others are paying the same amount for the same thing right now.

With this in mind, teams across the sales-o-sphere, right now, are unchecking both boxes with their clients here with a couple of days left to go in the quarter…

Them: “Can we get NET60 payment terms instead of NET30?”
You: “Can’t do NET60, but we can do NET45. That work?”

Oooh…that was easy. What else can I ask for?

Them: “I just need another 10% off this to get it done.”
You: “Would 5% work?”

Free slow pay. Free money. Just for asking.

It slows down your deals. It erodes trust in your pricing model. It erodes the value of your deals.

Your pricing is based on how much they buy (i.e., tiered pricing), how fast they pay (i.e., upfront annual NET30), how long they commit (i.e., minimum 1-year), and likely based on when they sign, too.

Establish the pricing and terms early and often. Negotiate transparently…

#salestips #salestraining #negotiation