We have found that many Account Managers and Sales Professionals find this both stressful and uncomfortable. Increasingly, these conversations are late, and may not even be delivered in person, with organisations often choosing the weak option of informing their customers through email, and crossing their fingers that there will not be any reaction.

Inevitably the customer pushes back, possibly threatening to take their business elsewhere. The result is that the Seller caves in ‘to keep the customer happy’-rarely a text-book ‘Win-Win’ outcome.

At RLA, we have developed a robust Negotiation Skills programme which will equip your team with the tools and techniques to both maintain profits and harmonious relationships with customers.

So, what are our Top 13 Tips for Account Managers/Salespeople?

1. Have the conversation as early as possible. There should be no surprises. Give your customer time to ‘come to terms’ with the price increase.
2. Have the conversation face to face (ideally at their venue), rather than virtual/telephone and definitely not by email. Visiting the customer tells them that they are important, and demonstrates both respect and professionalism.
3. Plan and Rehearse what you are going to say. Don’t assume the customer will understand why you put your prices up without a robust explanation and justification.
4. Forget about ‘Aiming High’ and starting off with an inflated price, planning to meet the customer in the middle. Your audacious initial price may scare them off and blow your credibility and trust.
5. When you visit them, get to the point quickly and concisely. Don’t waffle and waste their time. Look and sound confident. Look them in the eye when you present the price.
6. Don’t imply that the price is open to negotiation by saying things like ‘We need to agree on the price’, ‘we need to discuss the price’, ‘we need to negotiate the price’, etc. All of these suggest that the price is already movable. State ‘Our price is £XXXX’ not ‘it’s in the region/ballpark of £XXXX’. Be firm from the outset.
7. Once you have explained and justified the price increase, Shut Up! Let the other party digest what has been said.
8. If the customer reacts, remind them of the value they are getting from you. Don’t forget your Unique Selling Points if they mention your competition. Rarely are they comparing apples with apples.
9. Think about your Bargaining Chips. Negotiating is all about trading concessions/bargaining. Think about what is low cost to you, and potentially high value to your customer (such as value-adds like credit terms, enhanced service levels, training, support, lead times, etc.) and what is low cost to your customer and high value to you (such as payment in advance, longer contracts, referrals, a bigger share of the wallet, etc.) The Golden Rule is that if you offer something, make sure you ask for something in return.
10. Another Price = Another Package. If we must reduce our price, we need to change the package in some way (i.e., take something out)
11. Don’t be afraid to ask for some time to develop a creative solution.
12. Be prepared to walk away if you feel that you can’t find a mutually acceptable solution/compromise.
13. Hold your nerve. Maintain an aura of calmness. Focus on your breathing if you are feeling any anxiety.

RLA Sales Negotiation Masterclass builds a Negotiating Toolkit guaranteed to help your team improve their revenues and profits. 

‘In life, you don’t get what you deserve; you get what you negotiate.’ – Dr. Chester Karrass.

The post Negotiating to Win: Our Top 13 Tips to Succeed! appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Covid has shone a light on something that I feel has been coming for some time—the death of the traditional in-person sales call. I’m sure many of us remember David Brent, after his days at Wernham Hogg, bombing down the motorway to ask a potential customer ‘Who does your tampons?’.

Travelling sales reps have long been a key tool for many businesses. They provided the personal touch you couldn’t get from a phone call or email, they could offer product demonstrations, and because they had a captive audience, they could look for opportunities to cross or upsell.

The Rise of Online

However, even before the pandemic, the value of the traditional sales representative had started to wane. Key decision-makers, particularly in larger organisations, are not so easily accessible. Getting appointments has become trickier, and the unsolicited approach generally courts frustration and disdain. I also believe there is a generational gap with those who grew up in the latter years of the Information Age not being as appreciative of the sales rep as those who grew up when this methodology was the norm.

This creates a situation where the traditional sales rep has less strategic value to both the organisation and the customer. Covid has only exacerbated the issue, with the easy-availability of video-conferencing applications providing a suitable alternative to the personal call. Our salespeople no longer need to pop in for a cup of tea and a chat; they can simply send a Zoom link instead and do things online. Between video calls, phone calls, emails, text messages and instant messaging applications, is there any real value to keeping salespeople on the road?

Court Before Pitching

I’d say there is. When selling physical products, for example, it’s easier to demonstrate the product in person. Technology may be much more advanced than even ten years ago, but many areas of the country still have less than ideal broadband speeds and reliability. An in-person call isn’t subject to a technical hiccup such as a router rebooting at an inopportune time. It also has to be said that there is still value in a simple handshake, the walk to the elevator, and those other elements that are difficult to replicate in an online world.

To succeed, though, salespeople cannot rely on the way things were done. A business leader or procurement agent isn’t going to agree to a meeting unless they truly believe they can get value from it. For the salesperson, this means that much more of the groundwork needs to be laid before they can even think about meeting in person. In a way, they need to start treating it more like online dating—get their LinkedIn Profile up-to-scratch, build trust, develop respect, communicate openly and honestly, and really sell themselves before they can begin to sell for their company.

Rise Above and Triumph

Salespeople need to elevate themselves above the crowd. They need more knowledge of their industry and market, their competitors, and their product than they needed before. To communicate the value they bring, they need to think more creatively, and approach prospective customers with ideas and insights that the client simply cannot find anywhere else.

The best salespeople will seek to establish themselves within the client organisation as a Trusted Adviser. They’ll make themselves available to answer calls, provide insights, brainstorm, and take the time to help customers understand how to solve the problems they face. Great salespeople have always disrupted the customer’s thinking and challenged them on preconceptions, and now that’s more important than ever.

Still Here, But Different

The in-person meeting isn’t going to go away, but it’s going to become much more difficult to get a date in the diary when there are so many more favourable alternatives. Instead of having people on the road, it may be more beneficial to keep them at home or in the office, and get them prospecting, get them reaching out, and getting them to work hard on their entrepreneurial skills so that they can elevate themselves, and their organisation, above the competition.

At Robin Lines Associates, we offer a variety of Sales, Prospecting, and Key Account Management programmes. All of our programmes are bespoke, tailored to your people’s needs, your organisation’s challenges, and the conditions in your market. Reach out and let us know what challenges you’re facing and we’re certain we can come up with a training solution that will return fantastic results.

The post Death of a Salesperson appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.