I’m sitting down with Kent Kononoff, a seasoned B2B sales leader with over 25 years of experience in sales and sales leadership. Kent is known for his expertise in value-based selling, collaborative negotiation, and strategic planning to drive high-stakes deals. Kent shares his go-to collaborative approach, his favorite negotiation tactics like calibrated questioning and strategic silence, and reveals his top dos and don’ts for effective negotiations.

Plus, don’t miss a real-world story that brings these concepts to life and a powerful reminder that everyone in your organization, including those outside of sales, can all uncover new opportunities.

Outline of This Episode

[04:30] Kent’s three favorite negotiation tactics—including collaborative questioning and strategic silences
[07:43] Effective negotiation strategies include value-based selling and collaborative approaches.
[09:38] How to spot aggressive tactics like unrealistic deadlines or extreme terms and stay calm under pressure
[14:24] Avoid undermining your own sales pitch
[16:10] Leveraging strong customer relationships and market positioning to secure new opportunities

Confident, Collaborative, and Value-Driven Negotiation

Kent frames strategy as the overarching plan—your big-picture approach to closing a deal, shaped by your objectives, the client relationship, your position in the marketplace, and how your company is perceived. Tactics are the actionable tools that help execute the strategy: the specific maneuvers, like deploying credibility-building testimonials or positioning yourself as a subject matter expert. Strategy provides direction; tactics are how you get there.

When it comes to high-stakes negotiations, Kent prefers a collaborative strategy. Instead of pushing generic solutions, Kent concentrates on building rapport, understanding the customer’s precise needs, and creating a solution that fits the individual circumstance. This approach sets the stage for trust and long-term partnership.

We also discuss why not every negotioation counterpart will be cooperative—some may come in with a “win-lose” mentality. According to Kent the secret is to stay patient, ask calibrated questions, and gradually guide even competitive negotiators toward mutual understanding. Relationship-building and deep discovery remain essential, ensuring that you become more of a partner than just another vendor.

Essential Negotiation Tactics for Difficult Deals

Kent’s negotiation toolkit is robust but centers on three tactics:

Calibrated Questions: Asking calibrated questions, positions you and the customer as teammates working on a problem together. Examples are, “How can we solve this together?” or “What are the biggest challenges your team faces?”
Strategic Silence: Sitting with silence can be uncomfortable, but Kent believes “sales are made in the silence and lost in the noise.” Pausing give clients space to share objections or hesitations they wouldn’t otherwise have mentioned.
Anchoring: Kent believes in anchoring expectations early on during discovery. By citing market trends or industry challenges, he helps shape a realistic frame of reference, making pricing discussions smoother down the road.

The Irreplaceable Role of Planning

Planning, Kent insists, is everything. Quoting Benjamin Franklin, he reminds us: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Kent attributes 90% of success to diligent preparation, including knowing your customer, mapping out strategies and tactics, and setting clear objectives. Ad-hoc negotiation may result in occasional wins, but consistent, sustainable results only come with meticulous planning.

Recognizing and Countering Aggressive Tactics

In negotiations, especially with professional buyers, you’ll inevitably encounter aggressive tactics—take-it-or-leave-it offers, last-minute demands, or anchoring at a very low price. Kent’s advice? Stay calm, never react impulsively, and always use your rapport to bring the conversation back to shared goals and values. Ask clarifying questions to uncover the real motivations behind demands, and always know your own BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) so you’re prepared to walk away if necessary.

Sales isn’t just the job of the “sales team.” Any team member, from operations to delivery drivers, can spot opportunities and bring them forward. It’s a culture of service and curiosity that uncovers hidden value for both customer and company.

Thoughtful negotiation transforms sales from a transactional contest into a platform for partnership and value creation. From strategy and planning to calibrated questions and collaborative tactics, Kent Kononov’s wisdom offers B2B sales professionals a powerful toolkit for success in even the most challenging deals. Remember: Prepare, listen deeply, and always seek the win-win.

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