Are you struggling to close deals despite working hard? Read this article on 10 skills that top salespeople in India use for negotiation in sales!👇
What is the one ability that both the buyer and the seller must have to make an effective purchase?
It’s bargaining
How many of you think your parents are skilled negotiators?
Well, talking about my parents…
Nowadays, I am helping my mother in purchasing the grocery and I noticed one peculiar thing and that is my mother’s negotiating skills.
I just discovered that my mum is an excellent negotiator.
Now talking in the context of salesmen…
Have you ever wondered why a sales job is considered to be very tedious work? Why one is reluctant to work in sales?
You tell me, would you like to work as a sales professional in a well-reputed company striving to complete the targets?
I remember when I was pursuing my post-graduation from Delhi many students liked marketing but didn’t want to go into sales because they didn’t want target oriented job
Well according to the stats out of 10 people only 4 people are happy to work as a sales professional.
One of the traits to become a fantastic salesman is to have mastery of negotiations.
India is teeming with salesmen because there are so many things that require persuasive strategies, not just for selling products or services, but also for negotiating in real-life settings.
You do not get what you want, You get what you negotiate.
John f. Kennedy
What are those skills that
one can incorporate in his life to achieve mastery in negotiations
10 different negotiation skills to master in 2023
1. Active Listening
Are you a good listener?
Do you listen first and then speak, or it is the opposite?
I know the majority of you are first listening and then trying to speak. I would like to quote one story of mine.
My friend and I went shopping for auto accessories one day. The dealer was kind and a good listener. He carefully listened to our needs before recommending some suitable items. Thus, at last, we purchased the product.
According to one survey, more than 95 per cent of Indians only buy anything when they have confidence in the vendor. According to folklore, listening builds faith in possibility. And trust is critical in negotiating skills because if the prospect does not trust you, no matter what skill or method you employ, it is all for nought.
As it is correctly mentioned, if you want to be a good speaker, you must first be a good listener, and to generate prospect confidence, one must always think from a consumer standpoint, because 74 per cent of the sales force and field are thinking from their site, which is not what customers need. Listening to them will, at the absolute least, increase trust between both parties.
How you can become a good listener
To include effective listening abilities, you must prepare ahead of time since there is little room for good listening when the sales pitch is unstructured and lacks structure.
According to several advertising agencies’ evaluations, one of the most important attributes that great negotiators possess is patience, and if one has patience, he or she may become a good salesman.
Expert who possesses this skill
There is some fantastic salesperson who possesses the art of good listening and one can always rely on them:
One devoted good listener and good buddy working as a senior sales officer at Dabur India limited can reach a target of roughly 1.5 crores simply by using good listening skills when talking to merchants in his region.
Himanshu Mahajan Senior sales officer at Dabur India Limited
2. Analysis of prospects
It is often said to do your homework, and this is one of the most significant things that any salesperson must do before going to a prospect. However, the skill of doing homework is always unique.
When interacting with customers, it is critical to know about them; if the salesperson knows about his or her prospect, then the salesperson will be able to adapt the product benefits and successfully pitch it to the consumer. It is stated that the problem-solver mindset always wins out of the four main types of salespeople. And that will only be achievable if the salesman is well-versed in the product and its target market.
How you can become good at analyzing prospects
Before making a sales call or paying a visit, salespeople normally do a thorough analysis of their customers. Only two sales call out of ten are converted, and this is because the salesperson conducts extensive research on its consumers, resulting in successful sales.
Some experts who possess this skill
Some wonderful people possess the art of researching their customers and one can always learn from them.
Rahul Singh Rathore who is working as a (Territory sales manager at café coffee day) one of the biggest FMCG sector companies is well versed in this technique. Mr. Rathore’s job and responsibility are to find potential clients for his organization.
After attending his session at my college I got to know from him that analyzing prospects is one of the integral tasks that you can always incorporate if you want to become a successful negotiator.
3. Persuasion
I suppose you are also capable of persuasion.
I have proof. Remember when it was the final day to submit your school trip expenses, and you managed to persuade your parents to let you go?
Speaking about my secret to persuasion, I used to cry and then suddenly be able to persuade people.
Talking about persuasion I would like to bring up a quote:
To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.
Edward R. Murrow
Persuasion is the skill of convincing others to believe in you. And, as previously stated, if one makes the prospect believe in him, no force on the planet can stop the sale. We are all aware that our elders instilled in us preconceived conceptions that make us hesitant to accept reality. According to a study on the root cause analysis of this entire issue, it was discovered that it is simply people’s ideology that makes them so hesitant to trust a salesman.
That is where persuasive skills come in to solve the entire ideology problem, making people believe in the legitimacy of the product or service given by their specific firm.
How you can become good at persuasion
Furthermore, it is stated that persuasion is a god-given ability that may be mastered with enough effort. There are thousands and thousands of techniques on Google that illustrate how one you increase their position abilities, however, one competent seller once claimed that Persuasion can be learned by understanding What motivates people if you can figure out what motivates individuals, whether it’s a desire to obtain something or a fear of losing something. Mastering persuasion requires an understanding of the two behavioural elements of humans.
Some experts who possess this skill
Some magnificent salespeople to have the master of persuasion are as follows:
- My friend once went to a conference where. Nikhil Nijhwan (Chief growth officer at Woo study India) mentioned the SEE model which
- S for Smile
- E for Eye contact
- E For Enthusiasm
He mentioned his story where he managed to incorporate the skill of persuasion by using the SEE model.
4. Tactics for employment
Sales are often described as an art rather than a science, yet with this paragraph, people’s perceptions will shift. There are several tactics that great salesmen employ throughout their pitch.
According to certain well-known books authored by well-known marketers, one book titled Marketing Management by Philip Kotler has provided some approaches, or we can say strategies, that successful sales professionals utilize throughout their presentations. These methods are as follows:
- The best alternative to the negotiated agreement (BA TNA)-
Do you recall going to purchase something else but instead of purchasing that you somehow purchased something else? All thanks to salesmen,
The greatest alternative to the agreement is a strategy that sales professionals frequently employ while selling their products or services. It is an option presented to the buyer if the negotiation fails and no agreement can be reached. To sell anything, the BATNA approach is utilized, with the understanding that buyers may purchase an alternative gift to the goods.
- Zone of possible agreement (ZOPA):
No, this is very expensive for me. I can’t purchase it for this price, can we negotiate, can you please come down a little….
You might have said all these things while purchasing something for yourself. And often seen shopkeepers reducing the price a little bit.
Ever wondered what technique is??
Due to mutual agreement, merchants, and buyers may have to come to a possible arrangement where they occasionally cut the price of their goods while dealing with clients. Zone of potential agreement dash zone where the air that mutual understanding comes to an end where both sides may sell or even acquire their items
For example, if Ram wants to buy a used automobile for 50,000 rupees but Shyam wants to sell it for 60,000 rupees, the two parties can enter into a ZOPA in which they both agree to buy or sell their goods.
The Indian people have believed that sales are simply an art form, yet a great salesperson is a combination of attributes that combine talent and techniques.
Some experts who possess this skill
One day I attended an online seminar on sales and marketing by Dr. Manpreet Kaur: (Senior faculty of business development and sales negotiation) where she mentioned techniques and how she used these techniques when she was working as a sales manager in woodland shoes.
5. Problem-solving attitude:
Do you have a problem-solving attitude?
I mean to say do you believe that a good negotiator should have this trait??
Before starting with a proper explanation a positive quote by a famous marketer and writer named Grant Fairley
A positive attitude may not solve every problem, but it makes solving any problem a more pleasant experience.
For a professional salesperson who works with tens of thousands of consumers throughout his career. One constant is her/his problem-solving mentality; until and unless a salesman has this attitude, it is assumed that the salesperson is only thinking about himself. According to some exceptional salespeople, sales are meaningless unless and until they make a difference in the lives of their customers.
Consider going to a tailor and showing him your ripped jeans. And, if feasible, he makes it as fresh as possible.
Would you value his efforts?
Without a doubt, sure.
Would you ask for a discount if he remade your pants?
Not!!!!!!!!!!
A negotiator must give value to the consumer by evaluating alternative solutions to the concern and then picking the best.
How can you incorporate this skill
Making a list of what consumers want and then acting on it might help you develop a problem-solving mentality. Before doing a good customer analysis, it is critical to determine what the client’s expectations are, and once the Sales professional is working on it, the problem-solving mindset will be inherited from him.
The salesperson who possesses a problem-solving attitude is as follows:
My friend Amit Kumar who is working as (Assistant sales manager at life fitness) has this skill as his work is to suggest fitness equipment according to their needs and wants.
While I was interacting with him. He mentioned how his problem-solving attitude is helping him in his organization and this led to no negotiation deals.
6. Empathy:
Do you feel bad when your loved ones are in pain?
Or let me give you a situation.
Consider yourself working in a well-reputed organization working as a senior sales manager, and you have to meet the target in just 2 days. And suddenly your team member came and say that he will not be able to work for two days.
So, in that case, what will be your reply?
I know you will get angry but if you managed to reply to him positively then my friend you are having good emotional intelligence.
In the current customer-centric research, it was demonstrated that emotional intelligence plays a significantly positive role in human functioning.
For example, it provides empathy for others while also increasing one’s own emotions, and it also helps the salesperson cope with stress and maintain a positive mood and openness. In a nation like India, where salespeople are typically saddled with a large objective, emotional intelligence not only aids in negotiating but also boosts sales professionals’ endurance to deal with a variety of obstacles.
Also Read: Eight Must-Have Qualities Of A Sales Manager
How can master the art of empathy
One of the prominent leaders said once that-
(Emotional intelligence can be the game changer to high performance and personal leadership)
To understand emotional intelligence, one must always try to observe the situation without reacting hastily, and it is commonly seen that salespeople after seeing the lead without thinking to proceed, it is always crucial to observe how people react and analyze the work environment, as well as doing a proper self-evaluation. This can always assist sales professionals to maintain emotional empathy in check.
Expert who possesses this skill
One of my connections is on LinkedIn. Shruti Gautam (Associate PDR at Ad- push-up)
shared her story where she mentioned that emotional intelligence is very important while negotiating with the buyers
7. Value creation
Assume you are going to buy a used automobile and, after searching for a seller for several weeks, you finally locate an acceptable seller, but when he tells you about the car, you are not persuaded. Because the price he quoted is not reasonable. And when you request a pricing adjustment. He denies it.
The icing on the cake is that he just cares about his profit and is unconcerned about his worth.
So, would you buy it???
As one of the famous marketers once said:
Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.
-Philip Kotler
For example, anytime there is a negotiation, whether it is a consumer or a buyer, everyone wants a larger slice of pizza. The buyer wants to sell the product or service at a good margin, while the consumer wants to acquire the same products and services at a good discount.
Isn’t it?
The issue for sales experts is to persuade clients that they are getting a good bargain since even if the seller is offering a decent value, some buyers are hesitant to acquire it. One of the most powerful abilities one can add to a Toolkit is the ability to create value.
To highlight the necessity of value creation, regardless of how competent a salesman is, the salesperson who can detect the gap and so generate value for the client can only make sales for a longer length of time.
How you can adopt the skill of value creation:
According to the research, you should change your aim from increasing your slice to growing the entire pizza. This implies that you should always consider the best interests of all parties, So that each party may realize more value, it also helps to create trust between both parties and leads to future dialogues.
Some experts focus on value creation
If one is talking about generating value Mr Aman Gupta (CMO of boat lifestyle) is never left behind, His example of creating value by launching boats (affordable audio systems) is remarkable.
8. Effective Communication
What are your thoughts on communication? Do you think it’s significant while talking about negotiating?
Consider yourself an excellent communicator… Do you think you’ll be able to convince the vendor to lower the price?
Consequently, I believe you will close the transaction in your favour.
But what about individuals who believe they need to improve their communication skills? Well, specialists have recommended the following procedures for them.
Also,
It is usual for successful sales professionals to prepare a polished sales pitch and practice it in front of the mirror a hundred times to avoid any unexpected questions from customers.
Effective communication in sales is essential while negotiating because if there is no clarity in communication, a transaction will not be initiated.
How you can become good at communication
While doing some research on how one can become good at communication in easy steps, I recalled my syllabus for my MBA in which we were taught a subject names business communication that demonstrates how to communicate effectively.
One topic in that context is called the seven C’s of communication.
Professional salespeople usually stick to those in their conversations. Following are the 7C’S of communication.
Clarity, correctness, conciseness, courtesy, concreteness, consideration, and completeness.
Following are some experts who always use them
Akshay Dogra (Senior Sales Executive at Info Edge) is an active LinkedIn user who has shown strong interpersonal skills as a student of the year in his institution for the last two years and was promoted to assistant manager in his organization within a year.
9. Patience
No one enjoys doing things in haste. A prominent speaker once said, “Patience is always bitter, but its fruit is always sweet.” Using this condition in our professional salesperson, according to the research that was conducted, shows that good things truly do come to those who wait and display patience.
The issue that arises is, “What patience in the context of sales Ability to remain calm?
Furthermore, it is stated that customers and prospects appreciate working with salesperson sales professionals who are persistent, patient, and have a feeling of urgency. The icing on the cake is a sense of humor and, finally, proactiveness in assisting how to solve the customer’s problem.
The sales professional’s active patience and love redefine the discussion and advance the sales toward the close, just as it is true that active patience and love reframe the dialogue and progress the sales toward the close. Maintaining a long-term relationship with clients may be accomplished by demonstrating patience.
How you can become patient
It is one of the most difficult duties to be patient, but with little effort, one can conquer the skin and negotiate effectively. It is stated that always being in the present moment allows one to be patient during the sales process.
It is also suggested that if a buyer is unwilling to acquire your product, you should always be patient enough to move away rather than doing things in a hurry. Finally, it is said that more than half of sales professionals exercise becoming excellent listeners since clients always prefer purchasing from good listeners.
A top business professional who portrayed patience:
I often see TEDx videos and I found Simran Nagpal‘s (Corporate sales at Naukri.com) video to be great as she mentioned the core crux of how patience gives you the power of time.
10. Reflection
Yes, you saw it correctly … Guys’ REFLECTIONS!!!!
Now you have become a good negotiator.
But we will move toward perfection.
To flesh out your negotiating abilities and boost up, it is believed that you need to reflect on prior negotiations and identify those areas of improvement that need to be polished. In today’s 21st century when no one is flawless, it is anticipated from a salesperson that should never miss a prospect. So, just to make sure, all sales professionals take notes on what went wrong and what could have been done better.
It is crucial since it allows you to review every strategy that has worked in your favor as well as examine those that haven’t. A sales professional may also assess his or her strengths and flaws and develop action plans for the future.
How you can master this skill:
These are the only talents that can be achieved if the previous nine skills are followed correctly. To be outstanding in negotiating, one must always focus on productivity and excellence. However, if one keeps a thorough record of his strategy and action plan, he may master his bargaining abilities.
Top Business professionals adhered to reflection:
You! My friend! YOU!
Conclusion
As we have seen, negotiation in sales is not about a bunch of arm-twisting techniques to get the prospect to somehow pay! Rather it’s about becoming the person with who they wanna do business and then communicating effectively in a way that reflects that personality. I’m sorry to disappoint you if you came here looking for short-term tricks and tactics. But learn from the examples in this article put in the work and I promise you that you will not have a disappointing career in sales!