It’s almost the end of 2020. What a year, right? It’s a fact that everyone has had to evolve in response to COVID-19, so it’ll come as no surprise that Sales Professionals are now required to adapt their negotiation skills to our ever-changing environment.
As a Sales Professional, you already know that the best negotiating practices are well-studied and documented. So, in this episode of Selling in Asia, join Tom Abbott as he explores how to utilize and re-purpose established techniques and psychology to negotiate in our new digital normal effectively.
The Impact of Covid19
While some countries are starting to roll out vaccines, it’s fair to say that the virus isn’t going to go away overnight, and it’s likely things won’t return to exactly what it was like pre-covid.
Fortunately, we live in an age where we’ve spent decades already using technology as an integral communication method between teams, customers, prospects, and friends and family. So, the question is, how do we adapt our skills as Sales Professionals to effectively negotiate online?
Also read:
- Effective Body Language In Negotiations
- 10 Essential Negotiation Skills Every Salesperson Needs to Know
- 5 Steps for Overcoming Stalled Negotiations
The Challenges We Face
As the physical distance between us and our prospects expands, closing the gap is imperative. We need to change the way we negotiate in the digital era. Our economies are unstable, and some of us live on a day-to-day basis. Our potential customers’ risk tolerance hovers above none, and they now require immediate aggressive priority setting to feel comfortable. So, how do we combat these issues? Check out our tips below to effectively adapt your negotiation skills!
1. Non-verbal communication
Sales Professionals are used to walking into a meeting and delivering a perfect handshake to begin a connection with their prospect. Not anymore, so how do we build trust and rapport?
Be Fully Present. You need to engage actively, so don’t be tempted to rely on running through your pitch via slide show – this closely links to my first point about having a video-on policy. So don’t cover your face with your slides!
A ‘video-on policy’ is imperative. You want to replicate an in-person negotiation to the best of your ability, right? So, taking another aspect from your prospects makes no sense. Always activating your video or camera is essential to making that connection of trust. You want to be able to read them, and they certainly want to be able to read you.
Gently mirror body language and energy. People like them are like them – so try to be relatable, even unconsciously.
Read our in-depth guide on Effective Body Language In Negotiations
2. Ethics & Reputation
How do you persuade someone you’ve never met to trust you? Lucky for us, that’s now our daily predicament. If you think about it, your reputation or even your representation is determined by an initial first handshake – the first real connection you make with a prospect.
You refine all the techniques discussed in Challenge #1 to perfection. Leave no room for error because every interaction is now under a microscope – you’ve got to get that connection right the first time.
3. Mis-Communication
When communicating through the medium of text, you immediately lose your tone, which often helps you provide context.
It’s so easy to sound too aggressive, dismissive, or uninterested when you’re just trying to appear professional. Even things like sarcasm can be misrepresented entirely merely because they can’t see you grinning!
Close More Deals; Master the Negotiation Process
Profit, relationships, and deals are won or lost during negotiation. When successful negotiators arrive armed with the tools and skills needed to negotiate effectively, desired outcomes are optimized, and loss of profit is avoided. However, profits and closed deals aren’t the only desired outcomes when it comes to negotiations. That’s where our Negotiation Skills Training comes in.Â
Preserving the relationship is crucial to ensure that long-term business opportunities and negative feelings aren’t harbored.
Sales professionals, procurement departments, and business leaders must learn how to navigate effective negotiations that positively impact both parties and inspire future business.
