Negotiating the Big Sale

In the book, Negotiating the Big Sale, by Gerard I Nierenberg, three topics stuck out in my mind the most. First, he makes a persistent point to acquire the skills of a buyer. This can obviously help salespeople become aware of the other side and the others point of view. He expresses the importance of putting yourself in the shoes of a buyer, like all of us do everyday. We should consider how we feel when making purchases and relate those feelings to our sales. Also, Nierenberg explains the importance of making both the salesperson, as well as the buyer happy. Also, buyers consider time as an accumulation of knowledge. We should try to think of time as an opportunity to grow and sell more successfully, rather than create unnecessary urgency.

Keeping it simple is the second topic that I felt was most important in this book. It was stressed that complications can bring about anxiety and even anger. Nierenberg says, "get down to business but use kindness first." I believe that this means to give the buyer the simple version, but not in an attacking or harsh way. They don't want to be yelled at or forced, but they do want the most simple and easy way to purchase and complete their CLE, for example. He also explains to only answering the questions they ask. You shouldn' t talk about everything they don't need to know about. It makes them confused in the end. When to disclose is very important in sales. Both the buyer and seller see a slow but steady reduction of their share of the pie. Disclose what needs to be disclosed without leaving them in ignorance.

Nierenberg explains the importance of making both the salesperson, as well as the buyer happy. When both people are happy, the buyer feels like he was helped, rather than he was "sold." This brings me to the third topic that interested me the most, Sold vs Self-motivated. Buyers like to feel good about making purchases, opposed to tricked into them, usually leading to buyers remorse. Selling someone is trying to gain control of another point of view by persuading, influencing, convincing. Self-motivating is determined to work with you on a problem, without reaching an agreement. When the salesperson uses self-motivation tools, both parties feel confident about the sale. For example, if a buyer is uneasy about salescalls or doesn't usually accept them, opening up the conversation to personal, rather than business topics can help the buyer gain trust. They need to feel like another human is on the other end of the phone, not a product. In conclusion, I believe that Negotiating the Big Sale has many important topics that can benefit any salesperson.