Tag Archives: negotiate

Negotiating With A Customer Takes Finesse

Posted on by

Negotiation is an art.

It takes a boatload of finesse to negotiate successfully. Not only do you require a result in your favor, but you want to be fair to your customer, as well. When everybody wins, you’ve negotiated masterfully.

To get to that win/win result, you must do the following:

Make Good On Your Promises

Negotiations always go more smoothly when you have a history of following through on your word. If you make it your practice to only say what you mean and then do what you say, your customer will trust that this pattern will continue even in a negotiation. When you have that trust, you’re sure to make headway.

Listen Intently

We can assume that the need for negotiation arose because something in your business relationship got off track. With that as the foundation, it stands to reason that people may enter into negotiation discussions with their guard up and ready to do battle.

If you can avoid entering into discussions with that attitude, you’ll be ahead of the game. Hearing your customer out, without interruption is a great place to start. Extending this courtesy is likely to come back to you.

Do your homework

You want to establish yourself as an expert on this case. To get there, you must study the case from beginning to end and know the details to the letter. Know dates and times, promises made and promises broken, and have ample evidence to back your self up.

Consider Your Customer’s Point of View

The more you understand your customer’s needs, the better you can anticipate the angle he will take during negotiations. What’s best for his business? What would be his ‘perfect world’ outcome? If you can understand it, you can work to making that outcome work for you as well. This will help to bring about your win/win scenario.

Viewing the problem as the problem instead of viewing the customer as the problem will help you negotiate fairly for the best possible outcome for both parties.

Negotiate With Savvy

Posted on by

Customer disputes require swift and savvy action. If you’re in a position to negotiate, follow these tips for success:

BEFORE YOU BEGIN DISCUSSIONS

Study the details

Don’t make a phone call or set up a meeting until you have studied everything there is to know about the case. Keep your notes and the case file ready so you can refer to information as needed.

Consider the dollar cost

Some disputes are worth hashing out while others need to be written off. Time is money, so if a dispute is only complicated by a difficult customer, it may not be worth the time.

ConfrontationDURING DISCUSSIONS

Don’t be confrontational

Instead of confrontation, begin discussions with questions. Questions open the door to dialog that may reveal a resolution you and your customer can benefit from.

Offer documentation

Here’s where keeping your notes and case file handy will pay off. In the event your customer wants proof of some claim you’re making, you’ll have everything you need to provide immediate proof.

Keep an open mind

Through the process of asking questions, keep an open mind to what your customer tells you. Perhaps the perspective he or she offers will be something you’ve not thought of before. And it could change everything.

Resolve the easiest issue first

This is a great way to set the tone for success when you are dealing with multiple issues with your customer. By coming to a good conclusion early in your discussion, you’ll be paving the way for open dialog going forward.

Make a list of possibilities

There may be many different ways to solve a problem. Make a list of the options. It will make it easier to weigh the costs and benefits to both you and your customer.

AFTER THE CONVERSATION

Put everything in writing

Write down the payment schedule you’ve agreed upon and any promises made during the conversation.

FOLLOW UP

Perhaps the most important thing in the entire process is follow-up especially when you’ve agreed to a solution that has yet to be implemented.

One simple way to do that is to send an email immediately after your conversation that outlines the promises made, the agreements you discussed and any other pertinent points. End the email with a question so that your customer will respond thus confirming receipt of the email. Even a simple end like, “Thank you for meeting with me today. Are there any questions we didn’t cover?”

Negotiating with a customer can be a tricky process. You can simplify it by following these tips.