Most sales reps don’t necessarily love negotiation. Showing product samples is fun. Closing feels great. But negotiation can be tough, whether you’re dealing with surprise budget issues or last-minute terms. Negotiation is where deals are won or lost, though.

That’s why it’s so important to get better at this skill. In a post on the Sybill blog, Mamta Tainwala says great salespeople are great negotiators. It’s not about winning a battle but creating an outcome where both parties feel like they got value. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share her thoughts on how sales reps can improve their negotiation game.

  1. Active listening. Don’t jump in to fill the first second of silence. Pay attention to what’s being said and how it’s being said. This allows you to pick up on emotional cues and hesitations. Tainwala recommends recording your sales calls with permission and then listening back to see how much you are listening versus talking.

  2. Preparing with strong research. Tainwala says you should always know more than the prospect expects you to know. The worst negotiators wing it. The best ones prepare like they’re going to trial.

  3. Understanding buyer psychology. Your prospects are humans shopping for promo. They make decisions based on emotion and justify them with logic. Tainwala points out that understanding the psychology behind how people evaluate offers gives you a big advantage.

  4. Handling objections. Objections aren’t roadblocks, Tainwala says. They’re chances to understand what really matters to prospect. Whether they push back on price or timing, each objection is hiding a deeper concern. Your job is to uncover it.

  5. Anchoring with confidence. To become a better negotiator, you should set the terms instead of reacting to theirs. The person who makes the first offer often controls the conversation, Tainwala says. This is called anchoring.

  6. Articulating value. Masterful negotiators make the ROI impossible to ignore. According to Tainwala, the better you are at articulating the specific, measurable value your solution delivers, the less price matters.

  7. Reading the room. Emotional intelligence matters, Tainwala says. The best negotiators don’t just hear what’s being said — they sense what’s happening beneath the surface. In negotiations, this means recognizing when the prospect is hesitant, even if they say everything looks good.

  8. Knowing when to walk away. Your best leverage, Tainwala says, is not needing the deal. If you need the deal more than the prospect needs your solution, you have no leverage. Be willing to walk away from a bad deal, like if you know someone is going to be a high-maintenance, low-value client.  It doesn’t mean you’re a bad promo pro — it just means you know that you’re not a good fit.

Consider the tips above to become a stronger negotiator. When you listen closely, you’ll get a better feel on when to hold firm and when to step back. And remember: Every conversation is a chance to sharpen your edge.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Mamta Tainwala contributes to the Sybill blog.