Setting the Foundation for the Deal with Carson Heady, Ep #321
Jan 2, 2023
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Carson Heady, recognized as the #1 Social Seller globally at Microsoft, shares insights on setting the foundation for a successful deal. He emphasizes the importance of involving the right people and understanding their motivations. Key topics include effective communication, uncovering customer motivators, and leveraging network connections in negotiations.
Setting a solid foundation at the beginning of a negotiation is essential to avoid surprises and ensure clear expectations and timelines.
Having the right people involved from the customer's side and one's own team is crucial for a smooth negotiation and successful outcome.
Deep dives
Importance of Setting the Foundation for a Deal
Setting the foundation for a deal is crucial for success in negotiations. It involves understanding the major players, key milestones, and processes right from the start. By setting a solid foundation, one can preempt many potential obstacles and challenges that may arise later in the deal. This includes avoiding surprises, such as last-minute requirements or hurdles, and ensuring that all parties involved have a clear understanding of expectations and timelines. Additionally, regularly reviewing and addressing key milestones throughout the negotiation process helps to keep the deal on track and allows for necessary adjustments or interventions when required. Overall, setting the foundation provides a strong starting point and lays the groundwork for a successful negotiation.
Importance of Having the Right People Involved
Having the right people involved both from the customer's side and one's own team is crucial in negotiation. Understanding the key influencers and decision makers within the customer's organization helps to ensure that one is engaging with the right people and making an impact. On one's own team, it is essential to have the necessary resources and expertise to support the negotiation effectively. Building strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders helps in leveraging resources, getting buy-in, and addressing any challenges that may arise during the negotiation process. By having all the right people in the boat, the negotiation can proceed smoothly and increase the probability of a successful outcome.
Understanding Customer Motivators and Milestones
Gaining a deep understanding of customer motivators is key to successful negotiation. While it may be challenging to get customers to explicitly articulate their motivations, sellers can probe by asking relevant questions and doing thorough research. This research can include social media analysis, reading industry magazines, and studying company reports to gain insights into what matters to the customer. Additionally, learning from past experiences and understanding a customer's buying process helps in identifying important milestones and timelines that need to be considered throughout the negotiation. By considering both the customer's motives and the key milestones in the negotiation process, sellers can better align their approach and increase the chances of a successful outcome.
Carson Heady is the best-selling author of “Salesman on Fire” and is recognized as the #1 Social Seller globally at Microsoft. He’s found success in every level of sales. On this episode of Negotiations Ninja, one of the most recognizable names in sales today shares what setting the foundation for the deal looks like. It starts with getting the right people “on the boat with you” and caring about the “why” that drives them. What else? Find out in episode #321 of Negotiations Ninja!
