However, danger lurks just under the surface of any relationship that is based on history. Sellers who successfully avoid negotiations keep their Customer focused on the future. The tendency here is for the seller to center the discussion around the state of product approvals, or what the seller is doing to qualify for an increase in sales. That sounds more like an update for the sales manager than for the Customer, and must be avoided. The Customer should be made aware of how the seller is contributing to the future prosperity of the Customer's organization.
Many professional sellers follow the two project minimum.
In addition to the value they are delivering today, they emphasize two value generating projects that will positively impact the Customer's key business results in the future. This, in turn, obliges them to test the market for possible price flexibility, and challenge their existing agreements for possible concessions. Using Common Negotiating Skills To Prevent A Negotiation One of the best and most collaborative of the negotiating skills is stressing the parties shared interests. Shared interests are the reasons that the seller and the buyer have for talking with one another. Without these, neither party would take the time.