WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.480 --> 00:00:05.440 Make sure when you're in your sales process, you have 2 00:00:05.559 --> 00:00:08.759 an eye towards where this is all going in the negotiation. 3 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:12.039 And the good news is everything you do in selling 4 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:17.480 to improve your competitiveness also improves your negotiating position towards 5 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:17.800 the end. 6 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:25.039 You're listening to the Audible Ready podcast, the show that 7 00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:28.879 helps you and your teams sell more Faster. Will feature 8 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:31.399 sales leaders sharing their best insights on how to create 9 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:34.560 a sales engine that helps you fuel repeatable revenue growth. 10 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.640 Presented by the team at Force Management, a leader in 11 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:40.280 B to B sales effectiveness. Let's get started. 12 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.840 Hello and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm 13 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:49.679 Rachel club Miller, and today we are going to be 14 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:53.119 talking about what you need to focus on, what you 15 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.600 need to be thinking about in your deals right now 16 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:00.280 to set yourself up for an easier time you get 17 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.600 closer to closing it, and what you need to do 18 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:07.879 to make sure you're having productive negotiation conversations at the 19 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:10.799 end of the sales process. And who better to join 20 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.400 me for this conversation is our own Tim Cato. 21 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:18.680 Hi, Tim, Hello, Rachel, Focus, thinking and now three my 22 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:20.159 favorite topics. 23 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:22.760 Awesome and I know there's many of you listening right 24 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:25.480 now who are working deals in your pipeline. They look good. 25 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:27.719 You want to make sure that you're doing everything you 26 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:31.760 can to qualify the deal move it forward, and Tim's 27 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:34.079 going to give you some tips to make sure you're 28 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:37.879 setting yourself up for success at the end of the deal. 29 00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:40.840 So it's getting at kind of this negotiation topic a 30 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.760 little bit of a different way. And we are able 31 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:49.959 to negotiate great outcomes, great deals in our sales process 32 00:01:50.439 --> 00:01:54.560 when we understand the value we're providing and also the 33 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:57.359 scope of the problem that we're trying to solve. So 34 00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:59.680 let's start there, Tim, what things do I need to 35 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:02.400 be thinking thinking about so I have the information I 36 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:07.599 need when I'm trying to get that final signature and 37 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:09.680 everything's coming up right yep. 38 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:13.240 Well, Rachel, not a new message for folks that have 39 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:16.840 listened to our conversations before, But I'm a big believer, 40 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.680 and start with the end in mind. Now you said 41 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.439 something I want to edit slightly. For most of us, 42 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:27.240 the end in mind is not the closed deal, right, 43 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:32.120 that's a big milestone, But the end is what happens 44 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:35.639 after that. And the reason that's really important mindset is 45 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:37.639 start with the end in mind. What if the end 46 00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:41.280 is the customer achieves the success they were looking for 47 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.400 when they started talking to us from the beginning, And 48 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:50.039 why that's important is we can expand the negotiation to 49 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:53.039 create more value for the customer, more value from us 50 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.400 if we look beyond the close of the commitment, whether 51 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:01.560 that's a deal, whether that's a subscription, whether it's a consumption, 52 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:06.400 whatever the model is, looking at the endgame, there adds 53 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:09.240 additional consideration. So one of the things I want to 54 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:13.960 think about now is to shift the conversation potentially from 55 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:18.199 what our solution might be, who the competitors are, what 56 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:22.240 our differentiators are, price will come up at some point, 57 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:27.039 and not forget about them what happens. So that's an 58 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:31.800 important part of our conversation, and from a negotiation standpoint, 59 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:39.479 that's expanding the potential solution, but also potentially our negotiating position. 60 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:43.680 If our organization has a strong track record of successful 61 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:48.360 not just implementation, to helping customers achieve their outcomes, that's 62 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:51.360 an advantage for us. And I want to make sure 63 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:55.560 that if we have all resources local to support them, 64 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:00.840 we've got a structure that provides dedicated account management or 65 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.439 ongoing support, or our training or our customer success team, 66 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:07.560 if those are part of our differentiators, I definitely want 67 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.000 to include that. So that's one aspect of starting with 68 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:14.280 the end in mind. So the first one, let's think 69 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:18.399 beyond the clothes, think to their success. I think the 70 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:21.879 second thing we can focus on now and reverse engineer 71 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:25.839 from the reality we want is to broaden our view 72 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:28.879 and the customer's view of things. One of the things 73 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:31.959 that I've said frequently Rachel is a little tongue in 74 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:35.839 cheek thing. You know, fifty three percent of negotiating is selling, 75 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:38.319 and then right after that value usually say people that 76 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.480 quote percentages probably don't have any clue whether that's accurate 77 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.480 or not. But the idea is pretty much the same, 78 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:48.800 which is, there is a lot of negotiation utility in 79 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:52.720 early to mid stage selling. And one of the biggest 80 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:56.199 ones is our old friend attaching to the biggest problem. 81 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.199 What is it that we are going to be trying 82 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:02.759 to help the customer solve and make sure we're attaching 83 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:05.480 it is probably because that brings a lot of benefits. 84 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:09.439 Number One, it probably expands the size scope of the 85 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:14.160 solution they will need. It very likely impacts more than 86 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:17.000 the people we're talking to. So you know, I want 87 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:19.600 to make sure I'm attaching the biggest problem. I also 88 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:21.920 want to make sure I'm broadening my view not just 89 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.800 of the people making the decision, but those that will 90 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:30.079 be impacted by it. Is there someone let's say we're 91 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.480 selling a technology solution. Is there someone in the user 92 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:37.519 community that will be impacted by this decision? Is there 93 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:41.920 some type of integration consideration that would have an impact 94 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.120 on it that might not be part of the decision process. 95 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:48.399 Does it have an impact on our sales team, the 96 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:52.800 success team, the marketing team. And when I attach to 97 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:56.040 the biggest problem, I not only broaden the customers understanding 98 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.600 of what it takes to move from where they're at 99 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:02.360 to where they want to be, but also it likely 100 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:08.040 expands the influence structure. We call that usually the collective. Yes, 101 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:11.480 who are the folks that could have an impact on 102 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:15.360 the way the decision gets made? Several of whom we're 103 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:17.319 focused on in the middle of that. But if you 104 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:20.240 think of concentric rings, as we get to the outer 105 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:24.160 edges of those rings, there are some very influential people 106 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:28.480 that might not even know but decision is about to 107 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.519 be made. That could impact them. So what could I 108 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.959 focus on? Now, how do I change my thinking? Now 109 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:38.360 I'm broadening that view of the problem. I'm broadening that 110 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:41.560 view of the political landscape or the players that are involved, 111 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:44.120 but also the players that could be impacted to make 112 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:48.720 sure their interests are included in the scope of what 113 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.120 we're proposing. And guess what, here's let's bring a couple 114 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:56.279 dots together. They're the ones that are impacted long after 115 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:59.160 the deal is signed and the customer starting to engage 116 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:02.079 in implement So those things kind of come together. And 117 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:05.240 when I think about those, then the last thing that 118 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:09.680 comes into play is getting at those underlying interests of 119 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:15.040 those folks to influence their view of their requirements or 120 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:19.000 the decision criteria. So, you know, those are three things 121 00:07:19.079 --> 00:07:23.480 I like to focus on early. Now, last thing, while 122 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:26.639 we're doing all that, let's not forget there's a lot 123 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:29.639 of tactics flying early on. People that buy for a 124 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:31.839 living don't wait till the end to use their tactics. 125 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:35.079 They're throwing them at us all along, So recognizing what 126 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:38.399 they are making us feel like we're vulnerable to a 127 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:42.839 competitor or you know, our pricings outline or where we 128 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:45.759 always try and sell to it. Whatever they say, take 129 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:49.199 it into account. And what I've always found, Rachel, is 130 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:52.759 if I am focused on their biggest problems and I'm 131 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:56.600 leveraging the expertise that our organization brings to solving those 132 00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.920 problems and our track record, I've got a pretty good 133 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.959 defense when I say this is the full scope and 134 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.199 someone says, well, we don't need that much. Well, in 135 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.279 our experience, you do, and let me tell you why. 136 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:12.639 And I'm talking about other functional areas that I expanded 137 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:16.319 the conversation to. If they tell us your too high priced, 138 00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:19.959 if I've done a good job, influencer requirements or decision 139 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:23.839 criteria said yes, because we give you everything you need, 140 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:27.480 others have to compromise and give you a discount because 141 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:30.439 they can't give you everything we can. So it just 142 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:36.639 starts building our negotiation position way early. All saying we 143 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:40.279 say all the time, right, Rachel, begin the negotiation process 144 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:45.399 before the other side believes we're negotiating. Well. A twist 145 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:49.519 of that is make sure when you're in your sales 146 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:52.960 process you have an eye towards where this is all 147 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:56.879 going in the negotiation. And the good news is everything 148 00:08:56.919 --> 00:09:02.120 you do in selling to improve your competitiveness also improves 149 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:04.080 your negotiating position towards the end. 150 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.320 Yeah, it just gives you more to work with at 151 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:10.720 the later stages of the deal. Now you brought a 152 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:13.600 decision criteria required capabilities. I want to get to that 153 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.600 in a second. We talked a lot about the problem 154 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:20.840 you're solving, the pain, the implications, broading out that influence 155 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:22.879 structure to see who cares about it and how you 156 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:28.320 can align to those underlying interest but also in the discovery, 157 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:30.840 i'd love you to and you hit a couple of these, 158 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:32.240 but maybe we can just be a little bit more 159 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:35.679 deliberate about the things that I'm listening for that's going 160 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.200 to help me craft that final deal. And I know 161 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:43.279 we've talked about anchors before in some other conversations and 162 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:46.039 you always say to acknowledge them. And it made me 163 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:49.559 thank Tim of a contract we were negotiating just a 164 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:53.559 little bit ago where in the first call, the length 165 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:56.840 of the contract came up and I was like, that's 166 00:09:56.879 --> 00:09:59.320 going to be a problem right from the get go, 167 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:03.480 because I knew it would be. And guess what, weeks later, 168 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:06.279 it was still the same problem. It just sort of 169 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.639 like blew by it and then it ended up at 170 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:11.759 the end being like the main point of negotiation. So 171 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.320 I'd love to get your perspective on recognizing those other 172 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.039 things to what you need to listen for to craft 173 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:21.799 the final deal, because I think we know about influencers 174 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:24.720 problems like that, there's those other things that can really 175 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:27.279 help our deal if we're listening for them. 176 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:29.720 Yeah, that's really good. And my guess is because that 177 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.879 person didn't hear your comments early on, it ended up 178 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:35.039 creating a lot of delay on the backside and a 179 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:38.399 lot of work which nobody the thing. So that's a 180 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:41.879 reason why. But let's back up. Let's talk in stages 181 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:46.200 of our selling. Let's start early stage, Rachel. Let's say 182 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:48.679 it's a it's a new customer, or it's someone we're 183 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:52.120 expanding with. Early stage, I think a lot of what 184 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:55.720 we should focus on to be listening for is all 185 00:10:55.759 --> 00:10:58.600 about that idea was talking about attaching to the biggest problem. 186 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:02.000 What's the big problem. Let's help them define what it 187 00:11:02.120 --> 00:11:05.919 is to broaden their understanding of not just what the 188 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.679 problem is. But Rachel, I'm always looking for what's the 189 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:14.039 impact that that has, and so early stage discovery, I'm 190 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.399 spend a lot of time in those really sophisticated follow 191 00:11:17.440 --> 00:11:21.080 up questions, why is that? Who? Besides will you would 192 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:24.240 be impacted by that? When does that come into play? 193 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:27.960 Tell me about what happens when you know. So, I'm 194 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.399 spending a lot of time early stage. So what am 195 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:34.879 I listening for? I'm listening for other functional groups that 196 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:40.360 might be impacted upstream, downstream. I'm looking for any kind 197 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:46.200 of quantification and also emotions. I'm going to ask questions 198 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:49.679 early stage discovery to put them in the moment of 199 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:54.200 the pain or the challenge. This is slowing down decision making. Okay, 200 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:58.360 walk me through that right now. What happens when your 201 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:02.480 team gets a request for data and someone wants to report, 202 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:06.799 and it takes you seven days to get back to them. 203 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.320 Seven days, all right, and you're doing all you can 204 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.799 because you got data all over the place. You got 205 00:12:11.799 --> 00:12:14.879 to do things manually. What's the call you get at 206 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:18.120 day five? What's the call? What's the conversation you have 207 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:19.919 to have on day one when they put in the 208 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.120 request and you're setting expectations for sevent days. What's their 209 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:27.440 impression of your department? I like to, you know, really 210 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:31.080 dig in there and expand their view of the problem. 211 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:36.200 Now you use the word anchors, Rachel, early stage, mid stage, 212 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:38.639 late stage. These are just the things that people say 213 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:43.279 or do that impact the frame of reference for the 214 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:48.240 sale or the negotiation. So early on, there's an offensive side, 215 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:52.240 there's a defensive side. What do I mean by that offensive? 216 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:54.879 What are the things I'm going to do to try 217 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:59.559 and anchor additional considerations into the frame or reference for 218 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:02.840 their view the problem? Who else is impacted by it 219 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:06.480 when that occurs? What are the measurements? What are the 220 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:09.639 metrics that tell you how bad it is when it occurs? 221 00:13:10.039 --> 00:13:13.840 What's the impact on their aparts, your business, your seven days? 222 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:17.000 What does that do to the decision making? What does 223 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:19.159 that do to product launch? What does that do to 224 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:23.240 responsiveness the customer's on I'm expanding that. That's I'll call 225 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:26.399 call that, you know, a way that I add anchors 226 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:29.240 to the process. When I sat offensive, I didn't mean 227 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:31.840 make them mad. I meant you're doing something there. But 228 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:33.759 you got to be mindful for the anchors that are 229 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:36.559 coming at you, someone like you, Rachel, that says your 230 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:40.120 contract is way too long and it's going to be problematic. Now, 231 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.240 in some cases those are real We got to pay 232 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:46.480 attention to them, right, and other cases is just what 233 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:50.320 they do. Your competitors are, they're way ahead of you 234 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:54.840 on this. Hmm. I got three competitors. This one's ahead 235 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:58.360 on A, this one's ahead on B, this one's ahead 236 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:01.600 on C. But none of them do ABC like we do. 237 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:06.159 So I could fall victim to that anchor. Defensively, I 238 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:09.200 got to recognize what those are. So yeah, early on 239 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:13.080 it's focused on the business. I'm trying to expand their 240 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:18.240 view of the impact. I'm mindful of the anchors they're 241 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:20.960 aiming at me that I either have to take into 242 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.600 account or I gotta not let them become the kind 243 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.080 of things that influence the discussion. Now in the middle, 244 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:31.600 what am I trying to do there? I'm listening for 245 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:35.720 anything that sounds like a requirement or decision criteria, and 246 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:38.279 when I hear it, Rachel, this is a big one. 247 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.759 I have to resist the urge. You know, they say, oh, 248 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:47.440 we need pre built integrations right or we need you know, 249 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:50.879 pull visibility to shipping up and through the supply. Whatever 250 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:54.200 they say. I got to resist there to say, ooh, 251 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:56.200 let me show you what we have that does that. 252 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.159 This is a moment right. What I need to say 253 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.120 is that's it sounds like it's going to be one 254 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:04.159 of your requirements or decision criteria. May I add that 255 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:06.879 to the list. What I don't want to do, Rachel, 256 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:13.279 is get pulled into a product or feature benefit discussion prematurely. 257 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:17.480 When I'm going to do mid stage, I'm trying to 258 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:21.519 broaden the view of the requirements of the decision criteria, 259 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:24.399 and anytime a new one comes in, I'm just going 260 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:26.000 to add it to the list. So what am I 261 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:29.440 trying to do mid stage? I am trying to create 262 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:35.919 a written, confirmed, and prioritize list of requirements. That's what 263 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:39.519 I'm focused. I guess what when I do that, that's anchoring, 264 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.960 But think about what that does from a negotiation position 265 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:46.559 later on, when someone tells me, you know, you're too 266 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:50.120 high price compared to your competitor, I'm in a much 267 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:53.200 stronger position later on if I've been doing that early 268 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.759 and making sure that that list of requirements or decision 269 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:01.120 criteria reflects the interests of those people I've been broadening 270 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:04.360 the conversation with as well. So all this varies depending 271 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.919 on the complexity of the opportunity and the political and 272 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:12.080 competitive landscapes. But I'm not waiting to the end to 273 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:15.799 figure out what kind of negotiation position. Man, I'm starting 274 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:19.559 it from the very beginning, and I'm very purposeful. Early on, 275 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:23.159 I'm anchoring on the business problem, and then i start 276 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:26.440 moving towards the requirements to fix it, and I'm going 277 00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:30.720 to try and influence those. Not a mind trick, right, 278 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:33.559 I'm trying to influence because we know from our experience 279 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:36.279 there's things you got to have to address that problem customer. 280 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:39.679 But I also know from experience some of those things 281 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:43.120 align with my differentiators, and the more I embed them 282 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:47.600 in the decision criteria, the stronger my sales position, the 283 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:52.039 stronger my competitive position, and the stronger my negotiation position. 284 00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:57.360 Yeah, and on those required capabilities, it's almost the way 285 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:00.279 you're talking. We're gathering all this information, right, so we 286 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:04.799 have a pull of value of which the position our 287 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:09.839 solution around, and those required capabilities also come into play 288 00:17:09.880 --> 00:17:14.039 as you craft your strategy, like from multiple options. 289 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:19.559 Perhaps absolutely you know. Again, imagine now I'm mid to 290 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:22.880 late stage, and now I'm starting to formulate, you know, 291 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:25.920 what's our recommendation going to be to the customer. And 292 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:29.480 I'm certainly ninety percent focus on what will take for 293 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:31.240 them to move from where they're at to where they 294 00:17:31.319 --> 00:17:33.799 want to be on that problem. But there's a part 295 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.079 of me that says, if I do that, you know 296 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:41.559 I can also be influencing those decision criteria require capabilities 297 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:45.640 in a way that creates advantage for us over the competition. 298 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:50.400 So yes, where I said written, confirmed, and prioritize, the 299 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:54.119 prioritize one comes into play too. Let's say the customer's 300 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:58.759 got seven decision criteria. Rachel and I helped influence their 301 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:03.640 view of three of them why it'll help them, But 302 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:08.960 they also happen to represent three decision criteria require capabilities 303 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.200 that I know I got a differentiator that satisfies. So 304 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:16.680 guess what the higher on their prioritized list of requirements? 305 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:21.039 The three are that match my differentiator, The stronger my 306 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:26.680 competitive position, the stronger my negotiating position. Because ultimately, now 307 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:30.680 I'm going to talk about the end known as finalizing 308 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:34.319 the contract the deal. Okay, we all know that part 309 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.559 that that part's important. I didn't mean to downplay that, 310 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:41.519 But imagine when we're getting ready to shape our recommendation, 311 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:45.480 Rachel'll say, I round multiple options. We could use the 312 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:48.599 three magic words. And I don't know why these are 313 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:52.720 so mysterious to selling organizations. They are because we don't 314 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:56.039 think about our offer, our negotiating position at the end. 315 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:01.960 But think of these three magic words. Customer, you you 316 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:05.599 told me, you told me to move from where you 317 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.200 at to want to be on this problem. You told 318 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:12.759 me there are seven requirements. No matter who you go with, 319 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:16.640 there are seven. And you told me this is the 320 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:19.680 rank order of those. And by the way, we've confirmed 321 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.440 that across multiple folks inside your organization. And now let 322 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:27.240 me tell you how we do each one of those 323 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.440 and how we do it better. And when I'm trying 324 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:32.599 to do at that point, Rachel, I'm trying to demonstrate 325 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:36.319 I'm the best fit for what's going on. But it's 326 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:40.920 not my pitch. It's not the deck someone gave me 327 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.759 to send, and it's not the demo. I'm going back 328 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:46.400 to the customer. I was listening to you, right, and 329 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:50.319 we spent our time up front, and you told me 330 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:52.720 so that when the customer says, well, I don't think 331 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:56.920 we need this one thing interesting because the people over 332 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:01.920 here in product side they said that was critical. Oh yeah, 333 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:05.039 I guess maybe it is. But you know this is 334 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:06.920 too high price. Can't we get rid of some of 335 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:11.480 the services? Well? Interesting, but the end user community, they 336 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.400 said they need an ongoing support and training and they 337 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.440 needed some thought leadership from time to time out in 338 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:20.799 the future. Yeah, yeah, I guess we need that too. 339 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:23.839 See the different position I'm in. I'm not going back 340 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:27.960 to hey customer, this is what we think it's Hey customer, 341 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:32.519 you told me that is maybe the most powerful position 342 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.920 from a negotiation standpoint. I'm just aligning with what you 343 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:40.440 asked for. And if they're going to ask for some 344 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:44.319 things I can't meet in an ideal world, Rachel, I've 345 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:48.119 covered all that stuff up front, you know. Now sometimes 346 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:50.480 they throw a new one at us. Yeah, all this 347 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:54.559 is good, tim but your price is still too high. Okay, 348 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:57.240 Now we can have the conversation at this point be 349 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.319 about my price, Rachel, or we can make it about 350 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:03.960 their list of requirements. And I was shifted back to requirements. 351 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:07.119 Now this is where multiple options come in. Maybe I'm 352 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:11.440 anticipating this, so maybe one of my options is full scope, 353 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:15.680 long term roadmap, get everything done, and it's probably got 354 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:19.559 a pricing or cost consideration that plays out over two 355 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:22.160 or three years. There's some benefit to them in that. 356 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:25.599 But that's what one option is. Maybe the other option 357 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:29.000 is focused on first step of the roadmap, first step 358 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.240 of the journey, and that's a little bit tighter condensed. 359 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:35.200 It still will put us on the roadmap to the future, 360 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.960 but there's no commitment to the future. Maybe it's just 361 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.240 about this first thing, and that's got a different price point. 362 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:45.759 So when I get pressure on pricing or competitive position 363 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:49.759 and someone says I want that one but it's too 364 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:54.640 high priced, Well you told me those were the interest 365 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:58.119 you have, right, yes, yes, yes, Well to get to 366 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:00.200 a different price, what part of that do you want 367 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.559 to let go of? What do you want to compromise? 368 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:05.519 Can you put something in that will make it worthwhile 369 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:08.440 for us to change our price go from a two 370 00:22:08.519 --> 00:22:11.519 year roadmap to a five year roadmap. We might be 371 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:14.720 willing to change somewhere pricing. No, no, no, no, no no. 372 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:17.920 In fact, I'm not even sure that full scope is right. Well, 373 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:20.359 that's why I showed you this other one, this is 374 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:24.039 to get started version, And how does that work? You 375 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.680 told me these were your meetia needs, and that's what 376 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.480 this one does. In addition, it puts you on the 377 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:34.400 path to the roadmap. It just doesn't guarantee that you're 378 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:37.039 going to take the next step. We understood that, and 379 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.119 that's why we put it this way. So I guess 380 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.039 long winded way of saying, Rachel, I want to from 381 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.480 the beginning to the end, let them know I was 382 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:48.440 listening to them, let them know I'm being consultative, and 383 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:52.759 help them better understand their big problem, the impact back 384 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:56.480 to their organization, not just outcomes, but also other parts 385 00:22:56.480 --> 00:23:01.200 of the organization. I'm guiding their thinking in determining their 386 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:03.880 requirements to move from where they're at to where they 387 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:08.599 want to be. I have been anchoring things that put 388 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:11.279 us in a better position that also help them get 389 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:14.839 a better outcome. And then at the end, what it's 390 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:17.400 time to make a recommendation. I still have all that 391 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:19.880 in my mind, and I say, hey, based on what 392 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:23.400 you told me, I see two approaches. This one which 393 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:27.240 is long term, this one is immediate first steps you 394 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:31.319 told me, and you know that's the sort I'll always 395 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:32.799 fall back on. I don't know if we're allowed to 396 00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:34.680 say that anymore. That's a little ikky, but I mean 397 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:36.960 it's the point is, if there's a stance I'm going 398 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:39.200 to take. I'm going to take it on what they 399 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:43.200 told me. Now, I've been influencing that from the very beginning. 400 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:47.680 In an ideal world, Rachel, I have found that that 401 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:51.480