It may sound like semantics, but here's something you should consider:
Sales Negotiating is what your individual sellers do.
Sales Negotiation is an organizational competency.
An effective Sales Negotiation process provides sellers with the framework they need to consistently win deals and leverage the value their solutions provide throughout the sales cycle. Without a negotiation process many sales organizations struggle, as their sellers try to negotiate deals without direction or internal alignment.
That’s why an organizational approach to a sales negotiation is so important. An effective negotiation process accounts for the multiple people and departments involved in closing a deal. It considers the needs of cross-functional leadership, including legal and financial teams, and creates an alignment of internal resources. These key departments also agree on an accepted definition of what constitutes a great deal for your company.
Organizations that don’t realize the importance of this alignment usually fail to take command of their negotiations. That’s why a team approach is so important. Sales leaders that see negotiation as something their teams need to execute, achieve key positive business outcomes that increase margins and drive revenue.
Here are three of the most important:
1. Their sales teams successfully articulate the value of their solutions to leverage a value-based messaging framework.
2. They have an accepted organizational rhythm that defines what a great deal looks like for their company, the goals of the sales negotiation, and the value-added components they are free to trade during negotiations
3. Their negotiation strategy is based on business growth. Resources within the organization are aligned around clearly-defined processes that support the overall goals of the corporate strategy.
When everyone agrees on what constitutes a great deal for your organization, your sellers will be able to execute negotiations in a way that lines up with your company’s overall growth strategy. A team approach demands more than just tactical skill training. Rather, it requires a strategic negotiation process that will drive consistent success.Are you approaching your sales negotiations in a way that will drive improvements across the organization?
