Techniques for Handling Concessions in Negotiations

Negotiation thrives on smart trade-offs. Move beyond price and create real value. Learn 7 proven strategies to unlock stalled negotiations and capture more value, without getting stuck on price. With 30+ years of negotiating across industries and regions, I’ve seen one skill consistently shape better deals: the ability to design trade-offs that work for both sides. Last week, I had the privilege of delivering the 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 keynote at Fondazione Aldini Valeriani, hosted in the stunning setting of Palazzo di Varignana, in Bologna, Italy. The experience was memorable, not just for the venue, but for the exceptional group of entrepreneurs and executives in the room. Curious, sharp, and deeply committed to upgrading how they negotiate. Together, we explored a fundamental truth: When negotiations stall, it’s rarely because of price. It’s because we stop creating options. I shared real examples of how deals move forward, not by pushing harder on money, but by trading smarter across other variables. Here are 7 strategies we unpacked, with tactics you can apply today: 1️⃣ Identify and expand issues: Go beyond price. Add delivery terms, quality specs, exclusivity, IP use, training, etc. → Ask: “What other elements could make this deal better for both of us?” 2️⃣ Clarify differing priorities: What’s minor to you might be vital to them. → Move: Offer early payment in exchange for strategic terms. 3️⃣ Break down complex topics: Turn a rigid issue into flexible parts. → Split “price” into components: base fee, add-ons, volume tiers. 4️⃣ Evaluate timing differences: Explore how cash flow preferences differ. → Front-load value to them now in exchange for longer-term returns. 5️⃣ Address differing risk tolerances: Use your comfort with risk to relieve theirs. → Offer guarantees or volume commitments where you’re confident. 6️⃣ Combine complementary resources: Barter strengths. → Storage for data? Distribution for visibility? Get creative. 7️⃣ Structure conditional agreements: Build “if-then” logic into the deal. → “If performance exceeds X, then pricing adjusts to Y.” When you do this well, you stop haggling and start designing. The most powerful negotiators don’t demand more; they discover where value hides and trade accordingly. What’s a trade-off that changed the course of your negotiation? Drop it below or repost this with your own version. 📌 Save this for your next high-stakes conversation. Smart trades change everything. ♻️ If this reframes how you think about negotiation, share it with someone who needs to hear it.  

Reps love selling to end users. Talking about pain. Painting a vision. Then comes procurement. And everything grinds to a halt. Especially if it’s the dreaded Michael Shields who busts through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man to finalize things. 😬 Procurement has one job: pay less. To be clear, that’s a VERY simplistic summation, but that’s often what they’re going for. And most reps make it easy for them. Here’s how folks can partner with procurement without getting squeezed: 1) Preempt the squeeze. Instead of waiting for a discount ask, set the tone early: - “When we work with procurement, it’s usually about terms, not price. What’s their main concern?” This frames the negotiation before it starts. 2) Flip their leverage. Instead of “How low can we go?” ask: - “If we can meet their terms, will they sign this week?” Tie concessions to commitments...not just requests. 3) Turn price cuts into wins. If they insist on a discount, trade: - “We can adjust pricing, but let’s make this multi-year.” More predictability, higher ACV, and you’re not just giving money away. 4) Use internal champions. If procurement is blocking, don’t fight alone: - “Who on your side can help us navigate this?” Exec sponsors can (sometimes) override procurement roadblocks. 5) Be willing to walk. The best leverage? Having the guts to say no. - “If this doesn’t work for both sides, we’re okay stepping away.” Most reps don’t do this. That’s why it works. Procurement isn’t scary if you look at them as a future partner, rather than Darth Vader. While they may take some desperate sellers to the cleaners, they often work really well with dealmakers. Be a dealmaker.

To Salespeople Who Are Negotiating Q4 Deals: Here's 3 steps for the ultimate "win-win" (and stop deals from falling apart) ⬇️ BACKGROUND: 90% of salespeople play negotiation “whack a mole.” Your buyer asks for a concession. You give it, assuming it will close the deal. But all you did was “feed the dragon.” “That was easy,” your buyer thinks. They're now emboldened to ask for more. Here’s what the top 10% highest paid sellers do instead: 1. Uncover ALL “Asks” Before To One. Your buyer just asked for a discount? Great. Now put your head in a straight jacket. Don’t nod and say yes. Don’t shake your head and say no. Instead ask this: “Let’s say that issue was resolved and we found a win-win. What additional ‘asks’ would you or your team have before we move forward?” If they say "nothing," proceed. But chances are, there are other issues: - billing terms - free services - payment timelines Your job is to see the forest for the trees. Understand EVERYTHING they’re asking for. Not just one individual ask. Otherwise, you'll win the battle but lose the war. 2. Uncover the Underlying Need. Got all the “asks” out on the table? Perfect. Now figure out WHY they’re asking for them. What underlying need are they trying to meet? There might be a better way of addressing it. There was once two men “negotiating” over an orange. As one of them was about to cut it in half so they could share it, one guy asked: “Wait, why do you want the orange?” Turns out, one guy wanted to eat it. The other guy wanted the peel for his beer brewing. Both got 100% of what they wanted instead of only 50%. All because one guy asked the question. Do the same with your buyers. 3. Uncover the SERIES of Next Steps. Ok. You’ve got the “asks” on the table. You understand the WHY. One last step before it’s time to negotiate: Uncover the series of steps between agreeing on the issues, and signature. After summarizing their asks, say this: “Let’s say we found a way to agree on all of the above. What series of steps would you and anyone else on your team still need to take before we move forward together?” If their answer is “nothing,” proceed. But. Half the time… They answer with something like: “Well, we still need to get our CXO bought in on the business case.” That tells me one thing: You still have SELLING to do! Not NEGOTIATING! In that situation, you can negotiate until you’re blue in the face. But it still won’t close the deal. Rule of thumb: A successful negotiation should close the deal. If it doesn’t? If there are other steps to still take AFTERWARD? You’re negotiating too early. Get the selling steps out of the way first. Then come back to the “negotiation table.” Otherwise? You're signing up for TWO negotiation cycles. Ok. That’s all for today, Did you learn something? If so, let me know in the comments with a “yes!” And if you have a question? Let me know that too.

Negotiation best practices that would’ve saved me a ton of commission as a new AE: 1. Expect them to ask for a discount. Every savvy buyer is going to tell you that you're too expensive.  Knowing that it's coming can help you from getting shook. -- 2. NO unilateral concessions. Giving something (discount, something custom, free seats) without getting something in return (timeline to sign, longer term, reference) is the number 1 way to lose all your leverage. -- 3. It’s okay to tell your prospect what you want. One of the biggest lessons I learned from The Transparency Sale. Tell your buyer that they CAN get a discount if they give you something in return (longer term, sign by X date, etc) -- 4. Never send pricing over email. Always try to walk 'em through it live. If you really can’t, record a video reviewing the proposal so you can include your context & voice with the price. -- 5. Don’t let what YOU make affect your pricing confidence. Just because YOU make $75K/year doesn’t mean quoting $150K should throw you in a tizzy.  B2B pricing is just on a different scale than your personal budget. -- 6. Say the price, then stop talking. I used to literally bring a cup of water with me onto sales calls to take a sip of after I said the price as a way to force myself to stop talking. -- 7. Always get the full ask before going to your VP. Make them put ALL their requests on the table. It's a quicker, cleaner way to end the negotiation. Things get really messy if you only handle asks one at a time. --- What else would you add here? 

A prospect asked one of my reps for a discount yesterday. Back in the day, we might have just said “yes - here you go!” And tried to get the deal closed. But here is how we approached this: 1/ Confirmed why they are asking: “Completely understand the desire for a lower price. So that I am on the same page, what is driving the ask here?” We needed to comprehend if it was a overall pricing issue, a billing issue, an approval issue etc 2/ Confirmed that we are the chosen vendor: “Before we go to our finance team, they are going to ask me - are we the chosen vendor?” Essentially, if we get this price approved, are we moving forward? 3/ Confirmed next steps: “If we were to get this approved, what other steps remain on your end before we get final signature” Get them to lay out each step of the process so we know where the contract stands 4/ Asked for something in return: This step will be dependent on your company, but you simply cannot give up a lower price for nothing in return. So is this more seats, longer contract, faster close, referrals etc Morale of the story - an ask for a discount is a doorway into negotiations. But before you even go ask, start with this framework to understand where your deal sits and what you can ask for in return. Happy closing. Go get em.

I recently took an in person training on negotiating. Here's what I learned: 1. When negotiating, do not have a bare minimum in mind. This anchors you to a "not great" outcome and gives you an out to lose value. Instead, anchor on value for “what your best day looks like” and set that as the aspirational outcome. 2. Don’t concede, instead, trade for value. For ex: “I can give you 10% off, but given the economic cost to us, in return, I would need a testimonial.” 3. When people say “no” or deny you value in a negotiation, ask “why” and understand their reasoning behind it - then you can try to address the underlying issue. 4. Always acknowledge folks when they have made concessions. Make them feel heard. Empathize. A lot of the value in negotiating is also the human value. People want to feel valued and respected in the process.