One of the things that makes Michael Reddington’s skin crawl is the phrase “buyers are liars.” He emphasizes that it’s not true, not any more than anyone else. Everyone has goals and will strategically share information that’s likely to help them achieve those goals. That’s not dishonesty; it’s interest protection. Prior to any interaction where you need information, you have to think about the reasons why your counterparty shouldn’t share the information with you. Michael…
Assembling the Dream Team: A Team-Based Approach to Sales
Many people approach sales as if they are going to be working as a “lone wolf” the entire time. But David Perry prefers to assemble a dream team. What does that mean? David had just closed a large deal and felt really good about himself. But then he listed out everyone that had been involved in the deal. There were over 60 people involved! There are so many people involved on both sides of a…
Why “Rationale” Questions are Key in the Negotiation Process
According to Deb Calvert, the purpose of a rationale question is to understand the decision that has been made and what has gotten you to the point you’re at in a negotiation. You need to know what the criteria will be for the ultimate decision. If you can get some of this information and insight beforehand, it’s helpful. These are definitely great questions in the midst of the negotiation as well. What will be your criteria?…
Unpopular Opinion: Bad Data is Worse than No Data
Susan Walsh firmly believes that you have to know how much you’re spending, what it’s being spent on, and the competitors you’re spending it with. But how many companies know what they’re spending their money on? Most of the clients that approach Susan don’t have classified data. Of those that do, it’s worse than not having data all. Why? Because dirty data is immensely misleading. Susan emphasizes that “You can make worse decisions with wrong…
Jacqueline Twillie’s LATTE Negotiation Framework
How do we help women negotiate with confidence and close the gap? Jacqueline Twillie developed the LATTE Framework to help women bridge the gap. She was preparing for a negotiation talk and wanted an acronym. She needed a simple way to break down negotiation that would ease nerves and open people’s minds to hear what she wanted to deliver. It’s a five-party acronym that’s a checklist. A pilot has a pre-flight checklist to ensure the…