Sales management

Sales Management
Micro certifications

Sales Management
• Sales Prospecting and Sales Pipeline Management
• Sales Presentations
• Sales Objections & Deal Closure
• Sales Negotiations and Follow-up
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The Sales Process
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The sales process outlines the steps to find potential customers, close the sale, and retain
clients for repeat business and referrals in the future. The sales process includes the
following stages:
Prospecting is the first step in this typical seven-step sales process widely followed by BD/sales professionals.
Prospecting Preparation Approach Presentation
Handling
Objections
Closing Follow Up

What is Prospecting?
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Prospecting is the process of searching for potential customers, clients, or buyers in order to
develop new business.
The idea is to identify prospects and move them through the sales process/funnel until they
eventually become revenue-generating customers.
Organisations must locate potential customers on an on-going basis in order to replace lost
customers and to add new ones.

Prospecting – Leads vs. Prospects
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A person or business that might be a prospect is called a lead.
Leads become prospects if they are qualified as potential customers.
Salespeople must work on developing a process for qualifying leads, often called a lead
qualification system.
Screening Procedures for
Qualifying Leads
Qualified Prospects
Sales Leads

What are the Characteristics of a Good Prospect?
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The prospect must have a need that they are aware of. They may not know what the answer/solution to
their need is but they know they have a problem. Look for such individuals/organisations.
It is important to quickly determine if the person you are dealing with is a decision maker with the
authority to purchase.
Find out if the prospect has the ability to purchase what you are trying to sell – including the budget and
ability to move forward from a contractual standpoint.
A want/need that your offering can satisfy
Authority to buy/commit
Ability to buy

What are the Characteristics of a Good Prospect?
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BD/Sales professionals must use open-ended questions to identify if a prospective client has an established
timeline so you engage with those who are looking to make a decision.
If prospects are unsure of their timing, set a meeting for some time in the future to reconnect, or direct the
lead back to marketing to continue to nurture until the time is right.
Sense of Urgency

Prospecting – Approach and Essentials
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Who Should be doing the Prospecting?
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Prospecting is essential to building business – it must preferably be undertaken by certain
roles in the organization. Also, the size, scale and tenure of the organization is crucial in
determining who handles the process.
Founders - in case of start-ups
Sales representatives - for small and growing firms
Business development representatives - in an ideal sales team, with SDPs for inbound prospecting and BDRs for
outbound prospecting

Prospecting Essentials
A good prospector must have the following characteristics:
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Extensive Product Knowledge
Prospectors must identify who could
potentially benefit from your
product or service.
They must be aware of the core
features, strengths and weaknesses,
all potential use cases and new
features expected to roll out in the
future – to make the task easier
Understanding/knowledge of
ideal user
Prospectors must start by developing
a buyer persona or an ideal user
profile to know what kind of clients
they are targeting.
You can use existing client personas
to quickly profile potential leads and
contacts in different industries.
Strong Research Skills
Prospects need to dig through the
vast pool of information across
sources such as social media,
government websites, lead gen
software, etc.
This helps identify buyer personas,
gather relevant data, identify
industries/firms fitting the criteria
and then looking for contacts and
contact information

Prospecting Essentials – Methods to Prospect
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You could use any of the following common prospecting approaches that prove effective across
industries/businesses
Outbound prospecting involves your sales team
identifying and reaching out to prospects, making
initial contact through one of the traditional channels
such as telephone prospecting, email, etc.
Outbound Prospecting
Cold Calling
Cold Emailing
Social Media Prospecting
Inbound Prospecting
Inbound prospecting entails reaching out to leads that
have come to the organization through one channel
or another.
Central to inbound prospecting is your marketing and
CRM.
Warm Emailing
Social Selling

Prospecting – Sources to Use
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Internal Sources Company records, lists and directories, advertising inquiries, telephone inquiries, mail inquiries
External Sources Referrals, introductions, community contacts (centers of influence), non-competing salespeople, visible accounts
Personal Contact Observation,, cold canvassing, trade shows, bird dogs (spotters)

Prospecting Mistakes to Avoid
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Prospecting Mistakes to Avoid
Keep an eye for any of the following factors that might be responsible for your prospecting
program not working:
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Prospecting
Mistakes
Talking too fast and not listening
Assuming prospects are not interested
Too many prospects in the pipeline
Over-promising
Directly launching into sales
presentation
Not defining buyer target clearly
Getting their name wrong Treating gatekeepers badly
Not learning about prospect’s need Selling features instead of benefits

The Sales Process
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The sales process outlines the steps to find potential customers, close the sale, and retain
clients for repeat business and referrals in the future. The sales process includes the following
stages:
.
Prospecting Preparation Approach Presentation
Handling
Objections
Closing Follow Up

What is a Sales Presentation?
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A Sales presentation is a sales tool, usually a talk, involving the use of demonstrative material
like PowerPoint slides, props, sketches, etc., intended to get the prospect to commit to
purchase a product/service.
Well done sales presentations improve conversion rates at the bottom of the sales funnel - as good as sourcing a
huge number of “qualified leads” or finding thousands of prospects

Why are Sales Presentations Important?
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Well-structured sales presentations help you with:
Organising your
message
A good structure will help you cover all relevant information, prioritising and organising it in a way that it has
the intended impact on the audience
Simplifying your
message
Your presentation should make your product or service appear less complex than it is
Moving your
audience
A good structure allows you to make a strong emotional case - because buying decisions are rarely based on just
logic

Sales Presentations Objectives
Making the sale isn’t the only aim of sales presentations. There are various other objectives,
including:
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To be invited to respond to a tender
To be shortlisted to the next round of a bidding
process
To be accepted to help write the tender
To be invited back for a meeting with the
decision maker
For the prospect to meet with your technical
consultant
To get a go ahead to run a study
To convince the prospect to start a trial
To persuade the prospect to commit to a
technical evaluation

Sales Presentations – Doing the Groundwork
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Preparing for Sales Presentations
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Organise and prepare for your presentation – arrange your presentation and materials ahead
of time
Know what you are selling Know Your Competition Know Your Customer Know the Market
Know your product/ service
inside out
Include history of the
product/service, history of the
company – prospects like to
see growth
Gain as much information as
possible about the competition
as this will go a long way in
answering questions and
objections from the prospect
Learn: Strengths, weaknesses,
how do they advertise? When
do they call prospects? Do
they rely only on telephonic
sales?. etc.
Learn about every aspect of
your customer’s business:
How long he has been in
business? What re the key
products/services? Who are
the key clients? Find out if any
of your competitions have
relationships with them? If the
competition is in there
already, you must find out
everything about his product
or service.
Learning about the market
that your prospect is serving;
you can better ascertain how
you can help him achieve his
goals.
Knowledge of his end market
will help you tie your offering
to his needs better.

Sales Presentations – Key Content
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There are two key components to the introduction – first is a discussion about your prospect’s needs.
The second is an overview of the structure and flow you have planned for the presentation and
conversation.
Describe the objectives and scope of work you will be delivering. Explain what you will do and
provide a precise time-frame for key milestones and product/service delivery
Elaborate on the details of your approach. Divulge enough details for the prospect to clearly understand
your approach but keep it broad enough so that it doesn’t disclose your recommendations.
Don’t make any specific preliminary suggestions to the prospect at this step
Introduction
Objectives and Scope
Approach

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Describe the benefits your product/service will offer to the prospect. Tie your offering to the needs of
the client.
Don’t sell features, instead promote benefits of your products/services.
Do not include the cost in the beginning. Keep your estimate of costs for goods/services as detailed
as possible to avoid any misunderstandings upon delivery.
At the end, simply focus on reminding the prospect why you are the best choice for the job.
End with a closing paragraph which contains a statement of interest in doing the work for the prospective
client – including the benefits of doing business with you.
Benefits
Cost
The End/Close

Crafting Sales Presentations – The Slides
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Designing the Slides
Keep in mind that every slide in your sales presentation has a purpose. You must design your slide according to
your objective
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To Explain
To help describe something, to help clients understand
you
Use diagrams and drawings to help clients quickly
visualise what you are trying to explain, facilitating and
accelerating understanding.
To Summarise
To help clients retain key messages
Use slides with text. Show them one line at a time –
gradually dim the ones already covered. This helps clients
focus on one idea at a time while also
keeping sight of the overall picture.
To Prove
To make clients believe you
Use charts and avoid tables and figures. Charts allow the
client to grasp the point illustrated by the figures in under
three seconds. Keep tables and figures for written
presentations.
To Influence
To make clients arrive at a decision or to change their
mind
A good idea is to use photos to access the emotional
side of the brain, where decisions initiate.

Designing the Slides - Essentials
Include these following six essential elements for a successful sales presentation (Source: PPTPOP)
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An impactful
cover slide
A Value
Proposition
A Powerful
Story
Enticing
Solutions
Proofs
A Clear Call-
to-Action

An Impactful Cover Slide
40% people respond better to visual information as against plain text. Ensure that your cover slide reflects your
industry company stand. Google, Flickr, Unsplash, and Fubiz are good sources for images to immediately boost
your pitch.
A Value Proposition
Tell the prospects what you do - summarise your value proposition, telling them why they should buy from
you. To refine your value proposition, use the following formula:
[Company name] helps [target audience] with [services] so you can [benefits].
Example: Airbnb - "Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique
accommodations around the world."
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A Powerful Story
The most successful presentations are 65% stories. Including stories and team help to humanise your company
and increase likeability. Engage your audience with details about why your company and product came to be,
what motivates your team to wake up and work every day. Share tips that are personal and will make your
audience smile
Enticing Solutions
Tell Focus on your client’s problem and break down your value propositions to solutions tied to the benefits
your clients want. Remember:
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 Don’t give too many choices
 Communicate results/benefits they will get
 Make it easy and quick to understand
 Demonstrate your offering’s value through examples

Proofs
To make clients believe your claims, you should add proofs:
 Add testimonials to highlight what clients love about doing business with you. Include real client
names/pictures for greater credibility.
 Share research data such as expert quotes and findings that tie to the benefits of your offering.
 Compare your products vs. competitors’ to show how you're better.
 Provide extra benefits such as free trial, money-back guarantee or free shipment to show and earn
confidence.
Clear Call-to-Action
A call to action directs customers to take action (buy, start a free trial, sign up for mailing list, etc.).
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Sales Presentation Mistakes to Avoid
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Sales Presentation Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid the following sales presentation mistakes
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Sales
Presentation
Mistakes
Not sharing the deck digitally
Not making the PowerPoint visually
powerful
Not customising for the prospect
Not staying on your brand and its
elements
Not using analytics for follow-ups
Using a boring, dull, PowerPoint
Template
Not integrating with your CRM Not bringing a printed leave-behind

Effective Sales Closure
A Comprehensive Guide

What is Closure in Sales?
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“The close” in the sales process is the stage where the conversation moves to a sale (or the
desired outcome).
It may be called the “close,” which means the end, but, closing the sale actually begins with
the first step in the selling process — qualifying. Closing is, in fact, an ongoing series of
events that occur throughout the selling process.
Remember, qualifying is the key to closing as closing with the wrong prospect is practically impossible .

Closing the Sale - Prerequisites
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Prerequisites to
Closing the Sale
Solution
Value to
Justify
Cost
Urgency
Authority
to Buy
Need

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The prospect must have a requirement for your offering/solution. He may have the need and realize it, or
he may not yet realize he needs it. It is your job to create and/or reaffirm the need.
Ensure that you have a solution to their problem. It can be a problem that they identified or it can be a
problem that you have identified for them.
Your client needs to see value in what you are selling - demonstrate the value of your product or service.
Once they see the value, the value will justify the cost of your offering.
Need
Solution
Value to Justify Cost

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You don’t want your client to find reasons not to buy, or to go to a competitor. The prospect is likely to
prolong the sales process if he doesn’t feel the urgency to buy. Hence, you must aim to create urgency in
your client.
Make sure you are not wasting your time and sales efforts with someone who doesn’t have the actual
authority to buy the product or service you are selling. Selling to the wrong person must be avoided.
Ensure that you are engaging with the decision maker before you go into your pitch.
Urgency
Authority to Buy
Focus on creating the need through the solution and value. Then proceed to close the deal through the
urgency and authority to buy.

When to Close – Buying Signals
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The customer will tell you they are ready to buy through the clues they give you. These clues
that indicate that the customer is ready to make a purchase, are called buying signals.
In order to determine when to ask for the sale, you must actively look for buying signals
When a potential customer indicates that he or she is ready to purchase, stop selling!

When to Close – Buying Signals
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Prospects will give you both verbal and/or non-verbal clues that indicate you should move
from the sales pitch to talking specifics about purchasing.
Non-Verbal Cues
Greater eye contact; relaxed demeanor; uncrossing arms/legs, leaning forward; nodding, agreeing, and showing
enthusiasm; reaching out for pen, billfold, making calculations, examining the contracts etc.
Verbal Cues
Questions about a specific product, product model, or type of service
Questions about the warranty
Questions about the start of service/delivery date
Queries about the contract
Questions about the price
Questions about the mode of payment
Questions about your company
Requests to repeat
Direct Questions on Next Steps

When to Close – Buying Signals (Verbal Cues)
These could include: "Is this available in another size/color?" or "Can I bundle these two packages if my problem
is like this... ?". Such questions indicate the prospect wants to find out how your company can address his
greatest need.
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Questions about a specific product, product model, or type of service
Questions about the warranty show that the customer is trying to ascertain the reliability of your
product/service and is probably close to becoming a buyer.
Questions about the warranty

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Such questions may imply that the prospect is almost convinced that your company is the best choice and is
most likely eager to finish the sale. A good response here would be "when do you need it?"
Questions about the start of service/delivery date
If a customer starts asking about the terms and conditions of the contract, or enquires if he can make some
changes to the contracts, he is likely ready to buy.
Queries about the contract

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A customer is likely to bring up the topic of pricing willingly if he has developed an interest in purchasing.
Questions about the price
Questions about payment terms, mode of payment indicate the customers are already thinking of buying your
offer. Remember, if the customer brings up the topic of money into the conversation, it's a fair assumption that
they are interested in purchasing.
Questions about the mode of payment

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Questions about how long your company has been in service or if you are doing business with other clients in
the industry show that the customer wants to check the reliability of your company.
Questions about your company
If the customer asks you to repeat some parts of your conversation, he is possibly looking to reaffirm something
you said earlier that he was particularly interested in, He probably wants to assure himself that he is making the
right decision by buying from you. Such questions could include: "what does the warranty cover again?", "can
we look at the payment structure again?"
Requests to repeat

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You must listen and observe to recognize buying signals and respond appropriately.
To increase familiarity and improve your awareness of buying signals, run a signal review after each sales call.
Ask yourself, “What signals were present?” This review will help sharpen your listening skills and you will
become more aware of possible buying signals.
Remember
If your customer asks you "what do we do next?", in all probability it means that you have already closed the
sale.
Direct question on next steps

Closing Sales – Key Techniques
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It is essential to work on your closing skills to succeed as a sales/BD professional. You can
benefit from learning some proven closing techniques.
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Closing
Techniques
The Assumptive Close
Impending Event
The Columbo Close
The Puppy Dog Close
The Backwards Close
The Porcupine
The Hard Close/ Direct Close The Take Away Close
The Now or Never Close The Summary Close

The Columbo Close
Inspired by the TV character Columbo (a police detective). After the suspects assumed
Columbo was done speaking to them as he started walking away, Columbo would turn and
say, "Just one more thing."
After you wrap up your sales pitch and you know the customer is about to walk away, use
the Columbo line to restate the most enticing part of your pitch
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The Porcupine
Just like you need to be careful when stroking a porcupine, you must also be careful
answering customer questions.
If a prospects asks a question such as “Do you guys serve the Middle East market?”, respond
by throwing back the question: “Would you like us to serve your customers in the Middle
East?”
Try to gauge the depth of the prospect’s interest based on her response and adjust your
response and presentation accordingly.
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Impending Event
For times when you need the customer to make a quick decisions due to upcoming deadlines
or other reasons, the impending event closing is likely to work.
However, ensure that the deadline is not just in your interest, but also the customer’s, else it
will be seen as self-serving and won’t work.
E.g. "I have an installation and demonstration team in town next week. Can we schedule a
day with you?”
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The Puppy Dog Close
This technique is something like offering to let a dog lover take a puppy home to "try it out",
and, nine out of ten times the customer will buy the puppy.
For sales professionals who have the option of allowing their prospects to “test” or "try" their
product or service, the puppy dog close has a very high closure rate.
This technique is a low-pressure and highly effective method to get a customer to sign on the
bottom line
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The Assumptive Close
When using this technique, the BD/Sales professional assumes that the customer is going to
make a purchase. This assumption helps put them in a better state of mind. This technique
involves using a phrase or language that assumes the close is a done deal.
Being extremely confident is the key to this technique. If you cover each step of the sales
process and offer enough value to the customer, assuming a sale will close is a powerful and
highly effective closing technique.
Make sure you take repeated "temperature checks" of the prospect to make sure that he is
following along with your assumption-of-sale. Have confidence in your product and
yourself.
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The Backwards Close
Typically, BD/sales professionals follow a predetermined number of steps in the sales cycle,
with "prospecting and qualifying" being step one. However, the backwards close is when you
start with the final step, asking your prospects for referrals.
By doing this, the customer is put at ease as they realize that you are not trying to sell them
something. You can then go on to explain your offering, its benefits and value—and then
close the deal.
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The Hard Close/ Direct Close
Direct/hard closing requires a lot of courage and confidence and is good to use when you
have nothing to lose.
When you are confident that the answer will be affirmative, use direct closing. However,
keep in mind that while most people like to buy, they seldom like being sold to.
Don not to use it too early in the sales cycle - when you feel you’ve addressed the customer's
concerns and are positive that she knows the value of your offering, you can directly pose
the question "So, Julia, are you ready to see and discuss the final contract? ".
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The Take Away Close
This closing technique involves reviewing certain term, features or benefits a customer wants
and then recommending that they forgo some of these—probably to offer a cost savings.
This has a psychological impact on customers not wanting to lose anything from their wish
list and moving forward to make the purchase.
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The Now or Never Close
This technique aims to push a customer to make a purchase right away. You can try offering
them some special benefits, such as:
“The FTE rates are going to be revised next week onwards, so this is a good week to sign the
deal."
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The Summary Close
Learn to summarize the value and benefits of the product/service you are offering, Customers
may not always remember all details and might be confused in case you have multiple
offerings.
Help the prospect visualize what they're purchasing, summing it up in a concise manner -
they will better understand they're actually getting what they want.
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Trial Closing - Overview
Trial closing is an effective technique to improve your sales closing performance. By asking
open-ended, opinion-asking questions for trial close, you are able to:
Ascertain where you are in the sales process
Determine when to ask for the sale
A Trial Close is not a regular 'closing technique', rather a test to find out if the prospect is
ready to close.
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Trial Closing – Common Questions
How do you feel about our discussion so far?
What are your thoughts about the solution I’ve shared with you?
How does what we’ve talked about sound to you?
Based on what you’ve heard so far, what are your questions?
If you had your way, what changes would you make to the proposal?
Really easy questions to ask, right?
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Trial Closing – Buyer Responses
Your trial close questions are likely to get one of three types of responses:
Cold: Follow up this kind of a response with a question that immediately captures your
prospect’s attention because it is clear you have not broken through yet.
I feel it: This indicates you are on the right track with the prospect – making progress. View
this as the time to strengthen your story before asking for the sale.
Ready-to-go: This kind of response indicates your prospect is ready and it is time to ask for
the sale.
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Warning Signs for Sales Closure
As an aware and skillful BD/Sales professional, keep an eye for warning signs that
indicate the sale is unlikely to close
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Not sure when
they'll change
If their responses are
evasive and they are
uncertain when they'll
change, they're not a
prospect right now
Shift in priorities
If they tell you that
other, more urgent
priorities have come
up, they are unlikely
to buy in the near
future
Boss Isn’t Sold
If they tell you that
their boss or decision
maker isn't yet
convinced, the
chances of getting a
contract signed
anytime soon are
bleak.
Unresponsive
If they don't respond
to your calls or emails,
it is best to take them
off your prospect list.
Interested but
expecting delays
It’s ok to keep on
touch with prospects
who say they are still
very interested but
projecting significant
delays - but don't rely
on them
It is helpful to take out some time to review your pipeline and not be afraid to eliminate – it’ll help you to pursue new
prospects, with better chance of winning.

What is Negotiation in the Sales Process?
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The Selling process identifies the fit between the seller’s offering and what the
buyer is seeking.
Negotiation, on the other hand, is a part of the selling continuum, involving the
process of agreeing the terms of the deal.
Every moment of business development and selling involves some amount of
negotiating.

Why is Effective Negotiation Important?
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Don’t underestimate the importance of good negotiation skills. Effective Good
negotiation can help you with:
Improving profitability
Competing on value rather than price
Enhancing customer perception

Why is Effective Negotiation Important?
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When you undertake effective negotiations, you are able to:
Increase the deal size
Reduce discounting
Improving win:loss ratios
Realize greater value (proposed vs. closed)

Key Negotiation Styles
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Soft Negotiator
Makes concessions readily in order to
reach agreement; looks to avoid personal
conflict; wishes for an amicable
resolution; may end up exploited and
feeling bitter
Principled Negotiator
Creates a win-win deal
Hard Negotiator
Focused on winning; sees
negotiation as a contest of wills;
may get an equally hard response
which harms his relationship with
the other side, and exhausts him
and his resources
NEGOTIATION
STYLES

Key Negotiation Styles – Hard Negotiation
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Hard
Negotiator
Distrust Others
Seek concession as a condition for the
relationship
View participants as adversaries
Hard on the problem and the people
Make Threats
The goal is victory
Mislead about the bottom line Demand one-sided gains in order to agree
Try to win a contest of will Apply pressure

Key Negotiation Styles – Soft Negotiation
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Soft
Negotiator
Change position easily
Agreement is the goal
View participants as friends
Trust others; soft on the people and
the problem
Make offers
Make concessions to foster relationships
Disclose the bottom line Insist on agreement
Avoid a contest of will Yield to pressure

Key Negotiation Styles – Principled Negotiation
Principled negotiation is an approach to conflict resolution outlined in the book, "Getting to
Yes" by Roger Fisher and William Ury, published in 1981
Principled negotiation, is often referred to as creating a "win-win" deal. It takes the all-or-
nothing attitude out of the equation, helping you achieve your business objectives and satisfy
the other party’s expectations.
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Principled Negotiation – Fundamental Principles
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Separate People from
the Problem
Generate Multiple
Options
Focus on Interests
Use Objective Criteria
Fundamental
Principles

Principled Negotiation – Fundamental Principles - 1
Separate People from the Problem
The issue being negotiated often gets overshadowed by emotion, communication and
perception. Make sure you separate the people from the issue/problem at hand.
While engaging in negotiations, try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and empathize
with them. Think of each other as partners not adversaries
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Focus on Interests
Don’t look at the other person’s view on the subject/issue as inferior, instead, aim to have
discussions about common interests.
Identify the interests of each party regarding the issue – asking them why they have a
particular stance.
Number of interests underlie each party’s position - discuss these interests and stay focused
on a solution.
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Generate Multiple Options
Focus on generating lots of options for a possible solution - brainstorming can be an effective
exercise here
When brainstorming, remember to not judge the ideas.
Shortlist the most promising ideas during the evaluation phase.
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Use Objective Criteria
If encountering strong, direct opposition, use objective criteria such as industry statistics,
legal precedent, and scientific studies.
If both sides agree to the validity of the information and view it as a standard they can agree
to, it is objective.
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Principled Negotiation – Handling Obstacles
Deals cold be ruined by use of dirty tricks, power and refusal to use principled negotiation.
Use the four principles of principled negotiation to establish ground rules for the
negotiations
When power is an issue, the weaker party should look for a best alternative to a negotiated
agreement (BATNA). BATNA acts as an alternative to bottom-line thinking in which parties
evaluate the worst possible outcome before negotiations start. Decline solutions that would
be worse than BATNA.
When the other party doesn’t use principled negotiating, avoid responding to attacks, direct
them at the problem. Just keep at it.
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Essentials of Effective Negotiation
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Essentials of Effective Negotiation
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ESSENTIALS OF
EFFECTIVE
NEGOTIATION
Use silence to your advantage
Define your absolute bottom line -
define the concessions you are
willing to accept
Don’t put anything in writing till
the conversation is over
Build value in your prospect’s mind to
justify your price
Always negotiate with the decision
maker
Prepare well before negotiations
Know when to walk away
Offer alternatives to cash discounts
that cost you less

How to Handle Adversarial Tactics?
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What are Adversarial Tactics?
Adversarial negotiation tactics work through manipulation. Sometimes, buyers
may adopt use a range of pressure tactics to defeat you and get what they want.
They are looking to fluster you, hoping you’d make a mistake and eventually
feel pressured into making a concession.
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How to Deal with Adversarial tactics?
Avoid reacting in a way that would escalate the situation. Steer the negotiation
on a more productive path that fosters the relationship.
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Handling Common Adversarial Tactics - 1
False Deadlines
Pressuring you to agree to terms before you are ready.
Approach
Make sure the sales process is not rushed through. If you give in to fast-forwarding through
demonstrations and presentations, you could later on be called out for covering up
important details. Be prepared, and ask necessary questions to check the reality of the
deadlines.
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Delaying a decision and ignoring deadlines
This might be aimed at creating anxiety and pressure you to make concessions.
Approach
Find out the actual reason of the delay - follow up and politely communicate that your time
is also important.
Don’t feel pressured to make concessions due to the prospects inaction or lack of movement.
Save yourself by documenting all communications, ensuring deadlines and key action points
from voice mails/emails are noted, along with the consequences of any delays.
83

Starting over in the middle of negotiations
Prospects may reverse progress in order to keep and gain position
Approach
In case of any one term being changed, feel free to reopen all the terms - in the interest of a
fair outcome. Both the seller and buyer should feel like winners at the end.
84

Surprises
Prospect brings up new issues when you think things are settled
Approach
The prospect may have forgotten to bring something up sooner, however, it could be a sign
of prospective problems.
Refrain from immediately handling the issue - ask for more time, park it until you are
prepared.
Keep in mind: “Never let them see you sweat.” Change the direction of the discussion to delay
your reaction or response.
85

Demanding price up front
Prospects may ask you for ballpark price quotes and then hold you to the lower figure.
Approach
Acknowledge his question and state that you want to share the pricing information, but ask
for more information to help you give specific, accurate pricing.
Give information to get information.
You might provide possibilities of high-, medium-, and lower-priced options before you
know what’s to be included in the sale and committing to a price.
86

Negotiating the future
Prospects use a possible future deal to bargain for the current deal
Approach
Ask the client for specifics in written, effectively making the future deal a formal part of the
current deal. How you handle this deal, will set parameters for the next one.
Conceding on the current deal could yield a larger opportunity in the future, but, consult
your seniors and other stakeholders before committing.
87

Creating an uncomfortable environment
Prospects may try to gain an unfair advantage by ways such as long waiting hours, hot and
uncomfortable room, sunlight in your eyes, no food or break, and changes in negotiators.
Approach
If you can gauge that this is done intentionally, consult with your team/colleagues to validate
that it’s not just you who feels this way.
Straight away ask to change the environment (change seating, adjust the temperature, shift
rooms, etc.)
Don’t fear calling for a break or rescheduling the meeting.
88

Suddenly losing interest
Prospects may indicate you are likely to lose the deal, with the aim to gain better terms.
Approach
Do not panic.
Be aware that it could be a tactic, so ask the prospect what changed.
Be patient. Do not nag the prospect, but stay in regular touch, and document your
communications, discussions, key decisions and milestones, and consequences for the sale if
delays persist.
89

Outnumbering you
Prospects may attempt intimidation through a large delegation of buyers in the meeting
without informing you in advance.
Approach
Ask for details of attendees’ roles, ahead of the sales meeting - if the deal is likely to affect
multiple functions, it is sensible for the buyer to include his colleagues in the sales meetings.
If the sale is large/complex, expand your BD/sales team accordingly — match numbers with
numbers.
However, if you do end up in a situation where you feel you are being bullied during the
meeting, stand your ground, and try to schedule a follow-up meeting 90

Playing dumb
Prospect may try to get you to back down by faking a lack of understanding, awareness,
assumptions, or expectations.
Approach
Do not let the prospect’s “not knowing” to impact your terms.
Don’t amend the deal or make sacrifices due to your client’s lack of attention or attention.
However, since you’re the expert, it is mandatory for you to clearly spell out each step along
with information on pricing, timing, delivery, etc., to avoid any ambiguity or
misunderstanding.
91

Using silence
Prospects may use silence to pressures you to concede — the first one to talk after the
price/condition is on the table is usually the first to fold.
Approach
Keep quiet!
Stay silent after you’ve stated your price. Do not offer explanations, or stammer – you may
only giving them material that can be used against you.
Silence is also a weapon you can use.
92

The “Broken Record
Prospects may sometimes bombard you with concerns, demands, budgets, limitations, or
expectations.
Approach
Follow the client and be a “broken record” yourself - ask lots of questions until you receive
satisfactory answers.
Acknowledge their concerns but call them out for not answering to your satisfaction. E.g.
“Your concern about ABC is valid, but you still haven’t answered my question. I’m here to
help you, but it seems you either don’t know the answer or don’t want to tell me. Let’s try to
resolve this so we can move on.”
93

Using the “Nibble”
Prospects may try to get last-minute concessions.
Approach
Do not drop your guard towards the end of the negotiation when you almost have a deal.
Don’t let that the joy of thinking that the deal is done make you agree to a concession – even
if it seems very small.
Keep this question in mind: “What impact will this have on my profitability and future
deals?”
94

Conclusion
Negotiation is Unavoidable
Most issues faced during the negotiation process can be handled through clear
communication
Adopt ‘Principled Negotiation’ for mutually beneficial negotiations
View the interaction as a long-term relationship, and not a one-time transaction
Decline anything that is best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA)
Know when to walk away – unreasonable/unprofitable demands and intentional adversarial
tactics
95

Sales Follow-Up
Jump start pack – 4

Why is sales follow up important?
97
Industry statistics suggest that only 2% (or 1 in 50) deals are struck in the first meeting
Prospects need time to develop a certain level of trust and be convinced that you meet their requirements
A strategic and optimized sales follow-up process is important to get the outcomes you want when pursuing a
prospect

When to follow up and how?
98
After the Initial
Contact
After Formally
Making the Pitch
After Closing the
Sale
Follow - Up
When to follow up?

When to follow up and how?
99
After the Initial Contact
 Industry experts say, 80% of sales happen after at least five follow-ups; after initial contact, send
follow-up emails/or make calls at strategic times
 Anticipate and be prepared to handle the typical objections your prospect may have, to move
forward in the process
After Formally Making the
Pitch
 Appreciate the lead, recognize and restate their pain points, answer any questions that surfaced
during the meeting and end your follow-up with a call-to-action
After Closing the Sale
 Follow up to build and maintain long term relationships
 Use this approach: keep a schedule of when to follow up, choose an appropriate method (decide
between face to face, phone or email), reiterate your appreciation and actively ask about any
concerns the customer has.
How to follow up?

How often to follow up?
100
Ideally, keep following up as many times as necessary until you get a response
If you are reaching out completely cold, i.e. have never had any interaction with the other person,
follow up a maximum of six times
If you’ve already had some kind of interaction with the lead but the interaction was not a clear,
definite NO, then follow up as long as it takes to get a response
If during the process, someone says they are not interested, leave them alone

Sales follow up: tips
101
Schedule and Automate Follow-Ups: Schedule
your messages - use CRM or email productivity
tools to compose and schedule emails to send at
a later date
Keep emails Crisp and Short: Brief, to the point
emails are more likely to get you a response
Back up your Claims: Back up your statements
with a convincing metric, result or customer
testimonial
Don’t Automate Email Content: Refer to
templates but don’t blindly follow them, or all
your emails will look the same and will lack
customization – customers can often tell a
“templatized” email.
Avoid Bland Statements: Be direct, referencing
to the lead’s pain point and the solution you
offer
Stay Human: Treat the lead with the same
understanding and respect as you have for
friends, colleagues and acquaintances

102
Copyright © 2020 by Baachu, Baskar Sundaram
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or
other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of certain other noncommercial uses permitted
by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Legal,” at the address below.
Baachu
Sussex Innovation, No.1 Croydon, 12-16 Addiscombe Rd, Croydon CR0 0XT
www.baachuscribble.com
Disclaimer
While an effort is made to use the most accurate available information, Baachu does not guarantee that the information shared is always current. Baachu does
not warrant or make any representations as to the content, accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links and other items contained on its
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