A sales negotiator should have three main attributes first and foremost:
Quick critical thinking skills – You’ll not only need to think of excellent solutions to the problems you’ll face as a negotiator, but you’ll also need to think of those solutions quickly. A sales negotiator should respond quickly to common objections and challenges to appease a client’s concerns and keep their business.
Effective communication – You might be able to think of quick solutions, but you also have to be able to express those solutions in a way that makes sense to your client. You’ll often have to defend price points or services that your client might not like as well, and effective communication skills will serve you well in winning over clients.
Emotional control – To be clear, we’re not saying you shouldn’t have any emotion. Clients are, in fact, more responsive to warm, inviting salespeople than boring, dull ones. The important caveat is that you must keep your emotions under control when facing challenging situations to provide your client with reasoned arguments and talking points.