Negotiation Strategies In Convincing Clients

LECTURE NOTES CREDIT HOURS : 3 CREDIT SEMESTER/SESSION : 4th SEMESTER, 2022/2023 SESSION TOPIC : INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION CHAPTER 1 – Negotiation Strategies In Convincing Clients ______________________________________________________________________________ A. Introduction In addition to having excellent communication skills, a salesperson will be more successful if he or she has the ability to create a good negotiation strategy. In terms of business, a salesperson will always be faced with the process of determining an agreement that concerns the company's profits and the benefits obtained by the client. Even though the price and standard provisions have been stated, there are always loopholes found by clients to ask for additional benefits. The dealing process will definitely end with a negotiation strategy, especially if you have clients who are already professionals in the process. For those of you who don't have a lot of flying hours when doing the dealing process, it is indeed necessary to learn in developing the right negotiation strategy. Even those who are experts still need to learn to recognize the client's character in order to know the gaps and strengths of both parties. B. Seven Negotiation Strategies 1. Get used to listening before speaking The first negotiation strategy that will streamline the dealing process is to learn to listen. Before starting this process, make sure you have explained what the offer is and the benefits the client will get. Now, during the meeting for final approval, let the client express their wishes. According to Business News Daily, listening to the client's opinion is very important because it builds a good relationship with them. When he explains try to do active lisetening so that you can understand what exactly he wants. After he finishes explaining, then give your opinion and start negotiating. Try not to interrupt his conversation because it is rude and can make the client even switch to a competitor because he doesn't feel heard. 2. Negotiate with the decision maker The next example of a negotiation strategy is to talk directly to the decision maker. Let's say you are a salesperson who is convincing a woman who wants to buy an apartment. Try to find out who exactly is the decision maker who will make the purchase. Is it the woman or her husband. If you already know who the decision maker is, you can prepare an appropriate negotiation strategy either from the way of speaking or topics that are relevant to the client's character. 3. Think about the client's position "Put yourself in the customer's shoes" according to Fox Business is very necessary to apply when preparing a negotiation strategy with clients. The purpose of doing this strategy is not to give in to the client's wishes or low price quotes. By doing this you can see from the client's position regarding what he sees from the product or service offered. In addition, through this negotiation strategy it will be easier for you to find out what exactly the client's needs, concerns, and expectations are regarding the product offered. When you understand the situation, it will certainly be easier to direct clients to buy the products they need most. 4. Prioritize clients, not money Always remember that the client is also someone who has intellect and feelings. So, when negotiating with him, try to empathize and not just aim for big profits. A salesperson who is unable to show empathy to clients will definitely not be able to maintain a good relationship with them. Clients will also be reluctant to use the products or services offered. In fact, if your service is so bad then he might not recommend your product to others. Therefore, when negotiating try to think about what the client needs and not just your profits. Try to find a decision that can facilitate the client's needs with the company's products and rules so that both parties can get what they need. The simple language is win-win solution. Applying this negotiation strategy can certainly make your relationship with the client longer, so that he will continue to make transactions with you. 5. Stay calm during the negotiation process Sometimes we have to deal with clients who are quite difficult to convince. In fact, sometimes they even say that the products we offer are not good enough. Things like that can definitely make us upset and uncomfortable. However, a professional salesperson will not get angry easily when a client behaves like that. HubSpot explains that hostility with customers is something that must be avoided. This is not only detrimental to yourself because the company will be the one who will be affected. That is why when you are in the process of negotiation, try to always be calm. Even though the client is showing his frustration, try not to overreact. Remember that "the buyer is king" so don't ruin your company's reputation just because you can't control your temper when dealing with clients. 6. Pay attention to the price offered In negotiations, the price of the product or service will certainly be the main discussion for sales and clients. From the sales side, of course, they have prepared a price that suits the product offered to the client. However, usually clients will still negotiate to determine the price that suits their budget and the benefits they get from the product. For a salesperson, you should not give an irrational price range. The reason is, the client must have prepared a negotiation strategy to get the best price. Give the most realistic price that suits the client's needs. Also, don't just offer unreasonably large discounts. Don't let you go too far when giving discounts so that in the end you don't even get any benefits. Also, don't give a benchmark price that is too high so that the client doesn't "run away". 7. Prepare complete information Reporting from Inc, before carrying out the negotiation process a salesperson must also first prepare all the information needed. This negotiation strategy is very important because by having a number of relevant and necessary information, it will certainly be easier to provide explanations to clients. Gather information about the advantages and disadvantages of the product to the differences with competitors' products. With all this information, you can convince clients that the products sold have many benefits and are not inferior to competitors. However, remember that there must be proof so that clients can trust more to make transactions with you.