Negotiation Tip - Offer Something Free to You, But Valuable to Them!
There is a lot of room for creativity in negotiating, but few folks pay attention to the possibilities.
If you do, you can make what would have been a busted deal a great one.
For example, when I was consulting for a major cargo airline, my contact wanted to retain me to do a nationwide training program for his field sales reps. He also wanted to pay less than the going rate for my services.
Typically, I eschew business proposals such as his because my rates are more than fair and they represent my unique skills and proven track record. But Tom was creative, he thought he could pay me less and pay me more at the same time, which as you might imagine, is quite a trick.
He offered about 25% less money than I wanted, but he threw in a piece of plastic that may have cost his company a buck or two to produce. It was a consultant’s identification card that enabled me to be admitted to his company’s locations, but Tom promised it could open other doors around the world.
By flashing that card I could save 50% or more on first class hotels. I traveled a lot, so this would mean I could stay at a Hilton on a Hampton Inn budget. It would make my life easier as a business traveler, and the dollar value, over time, could exceed many thousands of dollars, Tom maintained.
I bought his argument, and quite uncharacteristically, I reduced my fee after he threw in a few more perks.
What Tom did so well was to ask “What do I have to offer that is almost free to me, but of great potential value to him?”
His answer saved our deal, or should I say it made it a very, very good one for both of us.
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Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,000 articles and several popular audio and video programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he is a faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary’s sales, management and consulting experience is combined with impressive academic credentials: A Ph.D. from USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies.
His web site is: http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com. His blogs include: YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS! and ALWAYS COLD CALL! at: http://www.alwayscoldcall.blogspot.com
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