The Best Negotiation Techniques to Reduce Prospect Resistance

You know what halts a negotiation faster than anything?

The heel dig.

When one side has an uncompromising position, it’s pretty much impossible to move forward.

This is where the vague notion of resistance becomes a reality, and very few sales reps know how to respond to it.

At ASLAN we start talking about resistance and unreceptivity from the get go.

We understand that the general mindset a rep has about their role (friend or foe, partner or victor) sets the tone for the entire deal lifecycle. If they hit the negotiation room having been combative, challenging, in-charge, and unyielding, then the terms of the negotiation are already set.

It may be obvious: those terms are rarely going to result in a win-win, which is the goal of effective negotiation.

Reps feel the strain and stress. They are aiming for that quota. They are ambitious and driven, which leads them to ambitiously drive to a point of sale. None of this is wrong, but if the foundational posture is one of tension, reps will lose.

That’s even more true now that resistance to sales people is at an all time high. B2C sales, B2B sales, doesn’t matter: everyone’s got rising stigmas about interacting with sales reps. The ones who are hard to work with are already off the list.

Big question: how do reps negotiate in a way that reduces prospect resistance?

We’ll tell you.

Negotiation Technique 1: Reposition the Relationship

First things first is a rep’s belief system. Yes, really. What reps believe about their role in a prospecting journey and customer relationship makes all of the difference.

We teach reps to serve, not sell.

What does that look like?

It looks like being Other-CenteredⓇ.

Reps think about the other person:

What is their top priority? (Not the rep’s)

What is their chief concern? (Not the rep’s)

What is most valuable to them? (Not the rep)

Even with those three simple questions you can begin to see how reps are entering negotiations with the wrong mentality. They’re thinking about their priorities, concerns, and values. They should be hopping into the other person’s soles. Take those loafers out for a spin. What does it look like from their vantage point?

That perspective is utterly game-changing for negotiations. Prospects and future customers feel seen and heard (because they are). They see the rep as someone who’s on their side. 

This trust has real-world value at a negotiation table, because a rep’s motives aren’t under scrutiny. The prospect trusts that their best interests are being taken into account. It will transform the exchange.

Negotiation Technique 2: Get Comfortable With Objections

A lot of reps get specific training in objection handling. Great. But most of them are still scared of it. Depending on a rep’s personality, objections may immediately trigger defensiveness, aggression, or retreat.

Reps need to be retrained on objections.

Objections are good. They literally justify a sales rep’s role. Without them, the entire buying process could just be automated, right?

Objections are reasonable and often truly substantive. Prospects need to understand more in order to buy, and a rep is the person to help them with that understanding.

Which is exactly how reps should see objections: as an opportunity to more fully understand what a prospect wants and needs. 

Every objection is a clue into their value drivers and choice factors. Perhaps most importantly, they’re rarely prima fascia. Reps need to get under the surface, digging deeper into what’s on the prospect’s whiteboard, what’s going on in their company, all of the use cases and value of the solution, and work with the prospect to find the right answer (regardless of what it is).

This is best developed through role-play, practice, watching a skilled rep, then imitating and getting feedback. It’s a great skill to be worked on in sales coaching and one a rep will use all of the time to advance deals.

Negotiation Technique 3: Customize the Conversation

Most of the negotiation techniques given so far have been about the human to human connection that is sales. 

A lot of sales negotiation training focuses on the tactical: plug in these three behaviors, say these two lines, upgrade concessions over time, use these convincing arguments and, voila, the output will be success.

But of course humans are far more complicated than that.

Great, high-performing reps have one thing in common: they’re excellent communicators.

This doesn’t just mean winsome orators, it means that they’re good at connecting with other people… connecting on the other person’s terms. They can get to the heart of a matter, hearing not just what’s said but what’s meant. Then they can respond in ways that prove they were listening.

All of these communication skills are imperative for negotiation.

And they all start with listening.

This brings us back to the other-centered point: are reps trained to listen for the right cues, the right insights, the right data to give them firm footing during negotiations?

Some of this begins as early as prospecting. All of it is collected as reps make meaningful connections with people, customizing the nature of each conversation to fit the individual across the line, screen, or table.

This is a negotiation technique that needs to be caught and taught, in other words, modeled and clearly conveyed and practiced.

The Best Negotiation Techniques Get Real-World Use

Beliefs drive behavior. That’s the starting point. Reps need to believe that a prospect matters. They need to value the individuals and groups they interact with, taking care to listen closely and learn what’s driving a decision.

This recon doesn’t just occur in discovery. It’s something a well-trained sales rep is equipped to gather every step of the way. 

Reducing resistance is vital for a deal to continue moving forward. It’s something reps can be trained to do, as they use negotiation techniques like repositioning the relationship, getting comfortable with objections, and customizing each conversation.

It’s training that we are uniquely skilled at. Connect with us to learn more.

Your people need a primer. Great news: we have one. Read The Complete Guide to Sales Negotiation.