Haggling

[Jimbo]

Some points to add to Bizal's notes :

1. I always have two numbers in my head - the one I'm willing to go down to, and my target. There should always be some rationale behind these 2 numbers - don't pluck them from the air, but make a reasoned argument in your own mind. That will help you not only to be more resolved, but also to appear more resolved - which is important.

2. Any sales discussion which starts with price is probably wrong. It's like asking a girl to go to bed with you as soon as you meet her. The more wooing that's needed, the more you value the girl, right? In the example given above, of somebody asking for a price for a domain name, you can still slow the process down. That's right, it can be beneficial to slow it down. If you don't sell today, you'll still own the domain name, so relax a little. If you have a number of domains to sell, then view your friend as a potential long-term customer and find out about his plans. There's nothing wrong with being businesslike.

3. Which leads to . . . I always start a sales discussion by asking the prospect structured questions - finding out what his drivers are, the context for the purchase, what benefits he will gain by buying, and penalties of not buying. Then I can start work, by tuning in to his particular situation. Sales is about relationships, and any approach which treats every prospect the same is doomed to failure - tuning in is vital.

4. It's a myth that selling is about having a 'patter' - I've always found that really understanding my clients, and being seen to be honest and honourable, have been more than sufficient. People buy from people. The challenge for people who don't sell very often is to be 'hard' enough to ask for what the product is worth, and to do that you really do need to be prepared to do some homework - understanding its value to the customer, and its value to yourself.

5. All this talk about 'walking away' leaves me cold. If I walk away from a prospect, it's nothing personal. I have great things and there are people out there who need them. If what I have isn't right for you, at a particular time and a particular price, well, that's okay. We'll part as friends and maybe I'll have something which is more suitable for you another time. This all comes back to point 1 - before going in, I know what my endstop price is.

[XEC Internet Consultants]

I'm actually in the domain name business - buying and selling. It's quite a strange area since people haven't really caught up with the potential value of domains and the volume of trades is still relatively low. I've often had people offer £25 for names which I would value at £1000 whilst by the same token I have had offers which have been for more than my own valuation.

Stephen.

[mytchell]

I could not agree more with Jimbo on this one there are too many wannabe sales people out there that dont know their a**e from their elbow.

Being a salesperson is a profession and it takes some amount of skill to know how to sell effectively. I have always used a consultative approach and feel that the 80-20 factors is a huge part of my process. Ask a question wait and listen for the answer. There are too many scripted monkeys that just pick up the phone 'hi im calling from we are great and whats your credit card number'. There is no way that i would buy from someone like this.

I would love to be a purchaser for a week id give every salesperson a major challenge and cut them of if scripted.

*Rant Over*

Hope your all well

Regards

Dave

[johnm]

Hi I am new to this site. It seems to me to be a good haggler you have to be willing to walk away and/or have a lot of neck. My brother came with me to buy a car once and he haggled it down so much that the salesman got really angry and told him to go somewhere else to buy a next car. I found the whole thing embarrassing even if I did get a good deal.

John