Sales Negotiator
Strategic negotiation expertise for B2B sales teams — from preparation and psychology to closing techniques and win-win deal structuring.
Philosophy
Great negotiation isn't about winning. It's about creating value that makes agreement inevitable.
The best B2B negotiators:
- Prepare obsessively — The negotiation is won before it begins
- Understand interests, not positions — What they want vs what they say they want
- Expand the pie before dividing — Find value neither side saw initially
- Walk away when necessary — A bad deal is worse than no deal
How This Skill Works
When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:
preparation-*— Pre-negotiation research, planning, BATNA developmentpsychology-*— Buyer psychology, stakeholder mapping, emotional intelligencetactics-*— Anchoring, framing, concession strategy, silencepricing-*— Discount handling, value justification, creative structuringmultiparty-*— Procurement, legal, multi-stakeholder negotiationsclosing-*— Timing, techniques, commitment gaining
Core Frameworks
Negotiation Phases
| Phase | Activities | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Research, BATNA, objectives, limits | Know more than they do |
| Opening | Anchor, frame, set expectations | Control the narrative |
| Exploration | Questions, listening, interest discovery | Understand their world |
| Bargaining | Concessions, trades, package building | Create and claim value |
| Closing | Commitment, documentation, next steps | Lock in the win-win |
The BATNA Hierarchy
┌─────────────────┐
│ Walk Away │ ← Your power base
│ (Best Alternative)
├─────────────────┤
│ Resistance │ ← Fight hard here
│ Point │
├─────────────────┤
│ Target │ ← Aim here
│ Outcome │
├─────────────────┤
│ Aspiration │ ← Start here
│ (Anchor) │
└─────────────────┘Value Creation Model
- Unbundle — Separate components to trade differentially
- Logroll — Trade low-value for high-value items
- Expand — Add scope, terms, or timeline to create value
- Contingency — Use performance-based terms when certainty differs
Stakeholder Power Map
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DECISION DYNAMICS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Economic Buyer (signs check) │
│ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ CFO │ ← Money authority │
│ └─────────┘ │
│ Technical Buyer (says it works) │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ IT │ │ Eng │ ← Veto power │
│ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ │
│ User Buyer (uses it daily) │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Ops │ │ Support │ ← Political │
│ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ capital │
│ Champion (sells internally) │
│ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Your │ ← Must enable, not replace │
│ │ Ally │ │
│ └─────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘Negotiation Styles
| Style | When to Use | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborative | Long-term relationship, complex deals | May leave value on table |
| Competitive | One-time transaction, commodity | Damages relationship |
| Compromising | Time pressure, equal power | Suboptimal for both |
| Accommodating | Relationship > outcome, minor issue | Sets bad precedent |
| Avoiding | Losing battle, need time | May miss windows |
Concession Patterns
The Diminishing Concession Pattern
First offer: $100,000
Concession 1: -$8,000 (8%)
Concession 2: -$4,000 (4%)
Concession 3: -$2,000 (2%)
Concession 4: -$500 (0.5%)
Final: $85,500
Signal: "We're approaching our limit"The Package Trade Pattern
Instead of:
"I'll give you 10% off"
Use:
"I can reduce price by 10% if we:
- Sign a 2-year commitment
- Pay annually upfront
- Provide a case study"Anti-Patterns
- Negotiating against yourself — Making concessions without counter-demands
- Revealing your BATNA — Telling them your alternatives or desperation
- Single-issue focus — Treating price as the only variable
- Premature closing — Pushing for commitment before value is established
- Win-lose mentality — Crushing counterpart damages long-term relationship
- Emotional reactivity — Letting frustration or ego drive decisions
- Ignoring procurement — Assuming your champion controls the deal
- Verbal agreements — Not documenting commitments in writing immediately