“The process of selling any product or service is in fact simply a negotiation where both sides attempt to reach an agreement.” – Jim Camp in today’s Tip 1579
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Jim Camp. Jim, who’s currently retiring as a Major General in the United States Air Force, has rejoined the Camp Negotiations team after serving many years as a pilot and commander. Jim helped build Camp Negotiations from 2000-2007 as a coach and VP of Sales. His expertise includes Sales and Leadership. Here he is:
Jim Camp: Hi everybody, Jim Camp here. I’m an owner and coach with Camp Negotiations, and our team has been coaching negotiations now for a little over 30 years. Company got its start with my father, Jim Camp Sr., who had a background in sales, and he set out to develop a systematic approach to negotiation and actually published his first book, Start With No.
Even before publishing the book Start With No, as we look back over the years, it’s become very clear to all of us at Camp Negotiations that the process of selling any product or service is in fact simply a negotiation where both sides attempt to reach an agreement.
It’s a real privilege to be here with you today, and it’s important to me that I give you something that you can take away today that will have an immediate impact on your sales success. In order to do that, however, I have to ask you a hard question and be honest with yourself.
What comes to mind when you think of the word negotiation?
Win-win, give and take, collective bargaining, getting to yes. Unfortunately, if these words are embedded in your current mindset, you may be leading yourself down the road to unnecessary compromise.
Okay, let’s go a step further. Now, stay with me on this. But in the sales arena, what does conventional wisdom tell you to do? It says, Go after the new leads, aggressively. Make your pitch, stay in constant contact, and most importantly, close the deal. In fact, some even say, Don’t take no for an answer. Here’s another hard question. How do you feel when someone is pressuring you into an agreement? Are you uncomfortable? When you feel like you’re being sold something, what happens to your emotions?
As promised, here it is. This is really important for you to think about, regardless of how successful you are because we can all get better. The definition of negotiation. A negotiation or in your world, a possible sale is simply an agreement between two or more parties with all parties having the right to veto. Veto being the keyword, the right for you or even for your respected opponent or your client to say no. The right to veto or the right to say no is actually the premise of the book Start With No. But it actually has a dual meaning. Think about how your prospective client will feel when you simply say, Hey, look, if this isn’t a fit, it’s okay, you can tell me, and we’ll simply move on.
What happens to their emotions when you openly give someone the right to say no? Does it show respect? Are you demonstrating that you’re effective, that you don’t need the deal? Absolutely. Just simply give someone the right to say no and watch how they react.
Number two, if you in fact do reach a no in any deal and you’ve led with this premise by giving them the right to say no, at that point, you will be able to find out where you’re falling short. Out of mutual respect, your client or your respected opponent will most likely tell you exactly what the real problem is. And at the end of the day, that’s something we can’t make assumptions about. I hope you found this helpful. It’s been a pleasure spending time with you.
Scott Ingram: To sign up for a free Q&A Group Call with Jim, exclusively for Daily Sales Tips listeners, just click over to DailySales.Tips/1579. Once you’ve been over there, be sure to come right back here for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!