Working with Buyers Trained in Formal Negotiation

  1. 13.5 Work with buyers who are trained in negotiation

In recent years, as noted earlier, we have seen an increase in the number of training programs developed for professional buyers. One such course is Fundamentals of Purchasing for the Newly Appointed Buyer, offered by the American Management Association. Enrollees learn how to negotiate with salespeople. Some salespeople also are returning to the classroom to learn negotiation skills. Learning how to negotiate is one of the linchpins of effective selling.46 Acclivus Corporation (www.acclivus.com), a Dallas-based training company, offers the Acclivus Sales Negotiation System for salespeople who work in the business-to-business selling arena. Karrass Limited (www.karrass.com) offers the Effective Sales Negotiating seminar.

Professional buyers often learn to use specific tactics in dealing with salespeople. Homer Smith, author of Selling Through Negotiation, provides the following examples.

Budget Limitation Tactic47

The buyer may say, “We like your proposal, but our budget for the convention is only $8,500.” Is the buyer telling the truth, or is the person testing your price? The best approach in this instance is to take the budget limitation seriously and use appropriate negotiation strategies. One strategy is to reduce the price by eliminating some items, sometimes described as unbundling. In the case of a fleet truck sale, the salesperson might say, “We can deliver the trucks with a less powerful engine and, thus, meet your budget figure. Would you be willing to purchase trucks with less powerful engines?”

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