Managing the Sales Negotiation ProcessIn order to give you a real edge in your sales negotiations, some key points have been listed below:1.Don’t believe everything you see and hear:Part of a good salesperson’s skill is to learn to read people and situations very quickly. However, when it gets down to negotiating, you have to note down everything you see and hear. Buyers are good negotiators, and thus they are good actors. Y ou may be the only person who has what he needs, but everything he does and says, from body language to the words he uses, will be designed to lead you to believe that unless he gets an extra 10% off, he’s going with the competition.Be skeptical. Be suspicious. Test, probe, and see what happens.2.Don’t offer your bottom line early in the negotiation.How many times have you been asked to “give me your best price”?And have you ever given your best price only to discover that the buyer still wanted more? Y ou have to play the game. It’s expected. If you could drop your price by 10%, start out with 1%, or 2% or 4%.Leave yourself room to negotiate some more. Who knows------ you may get it for a 2% reduction. Y ou might have to go all the way to 10%, but often you won’t. A little stubbornness pays big dividends.3.Get something in return for your added value.What if you discover that the buyer wants to be able to track hisexpenditures for your products or services in a way that is far more detailed and complex than is standard for your industry? And what if your account tracking system is set up in a way that you can provide that information at essentially no cost to you? Often the salesperson’s overwhelming temptation is to jump in and say, “Oh, we can do that.That’s no problem.” Before you do, however, think about your options.Y ou could throw it in as part of the package and try to build good will.Or you could take a deep breath and try something like, “That’s a difficult problem that will require some effort on our part, but it’s doable.” In the second case, you’ve told the buyer you definitely could do it, but you have not yet agreed to do it. Y ou may not be able to get him to pay extra for it, but you may be able to use it as a bargaining chip in resisting price concessions. Which way you choose to go will depend on who your customer is and on the situation. However, you do have options.4.Sell and negotiate simultaneously.Think of selling and negotiating as two sides of the same coin.Sometimes one side is faced up, and sometimes the other side, but they are always both there. This is particularly true in your earliest contacts with the buyer. The face the buyer sees is that of a salesperson demonstrating features and benefits. The hidden face is that of a negotiator probing and seeking out information that may beinvaluable later should issues like price, terms, quality, delivery, etc.have to be negotiated.5.Be patient.Finally, and most important, be patient. Sales are a high energy, fast moving business. Patience is one commodity that is in relatively short supply, but if you’re impatient in a negotiation, you’ll lose your shirt.If I’m negotiating with you and I know that you’re impatient, I will hold out just a little longer, no matter how desperate I am to make a deal with you. As long as I know you’re in a hurry, I’ll wait. So be patient. Take the time that you need, don’t rush to give in, don’t show your anxiety, stay cool and don’t panic. Negotiation is a process and a game. Use the process and play the game. Y ou’ll be astonished at the difference that it makes!Unit 5 Placing an OrderA Sample Business Contract:Date:Contract No.:The Buyer:The Seller:This contract is made by and between the Buyer and the Seller; whereby the Buyer agrees to buy and the Seller agrees to sell the under-mentionedgoods subject to the terms and conditions as stipulated hereinafter:(1)Name of Commodity:(2)Quantity:(3)Unit Price:(4)Total V alue（总值）:(5)Packaging:(6)Country of Origin（原产地、原产国）:(7)Terms of Payment:(8)Insurance:(9)Time of Shipment（装运时间）：(10)Port of Lading（装运港）：(11)Port of Destination （目的港）：(12)Marking（标记）：All packaging will be marked with the port of destination, package number and gross and net weights and measurements. In addition, the Buyer may want some special marks to identify the contents. All marks must be stenciled or written conspicuously with fast and indelible pigments on each package. In the case of dangerous and / or poisonous cargoes, the Seller is obliged to ensure that the nature of the poison and its internationally adopted symbol is marked conspicuously on each package.(13)Terms of Payment:One month prior to the time of shipment, the Buyer shall open with the Bank of_________ an irrevocable Letter of Credit in favor of the Seller payable at the issuing bank against presentation of documents as stipulated in this contract. The said Letter of Credit shall remain in force till the 15th day after shipment.(14)Claims:Within 45 days after the arrival of the goods at the destination, should the quality, specifications or quantity be found not to be in conformity with the stipulation of the contract and excepting those claims for which the insurance company or the owners of the vessel are liable, the Buyer shall have the right on the strength of the inspection certificate issued by the C. C. I. C and the relative documents to claim for compensation from the Seller.(15)Force Majeure:（不可抗力）The Seller shall not be held responsible for delay in shipment or non-delivery of the goods due to Force Majeure (unforeseeable circumstances) which might occur during the process of manufacturing or in the course of loading or transit. The Seller shall advise the Buyer immediately of any occurrence within fourteen days.The Seller shall send by airmail to the Buyer for their acceptance certificate of the accident. Under such circumstances the Seller, however, is still under obligation to take all necessary measures tohasten the delivery of the goods.(16)Arbitration:All disputes in connection with the execution of this Contract shall be settled through friendly negotiation. In a case where no settlement can be reached, the case may be submitted for arbitration to the Arbitration Commission of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in accordance with the Provisional Rules of Procedure promulgated by the said Arbitration Commission. The Arbitration Committee shall be final and binding upon both parties, and the Arbitration fee shall be borne by the losing party.(17)Other Terms:Unless otherwise agreed and accepted by the Buyer, all other matters related to this contract shall form an integral part of this Contract. Any supplementary terms and conditions that may be attached to this Contract shall automatically prevail over the terms and conditions of this Contract if such supplementary terms and conditions come in conflict with terms and conditions herein and shall be binding upon both parties.Language Expression:The order:Because this product has proved unusually popular, we are strugglingto fulfill orders.We will be able to make shipment to you on March 20th. Please confirm this is acceptable.What quantity do you consider / regard as a large order?If our first order turns out to be successful, bigger orders will follow. Is it convenient for you if we place an order by telephone or do you prefer orders to be in writing?Please confirm that you’ll ship our order at the beginning of October. If we order now, when can you deliver the goods?The trade discount / commission / delivery date depends on the size of your order.Supply and delivery:We’ll fulfill your order first so as not to let you down.We’ll contact the supplier to try to speed up production.I’m sorry to say that we are unable to meet your delivery date.Could you possibly make the delivery earlier for this container? Because you are a regular customer, we have already given you priority on supply.If you are in urgent need of a delivery, I highly recommend you consider one of your similar and newer models.Would you please get back to the manufacturer to see if they are yet ina position to supply us.Cancellation of a contract:The contract will be terminated upon mutual agreement.The buyer / seller has the option of canceling the contract.Y ou cannot cancel the contract without our agreement.What procedure is there if either of us wants to terminate the contract? During the trial period, either side can terminate the contract with one month’s notice.Other terms relating to contracts:What are the main clauses in the contract?We should follow the stipulations laid down in the contract.Both sides should keep one original and two copies.May I refer you to Article 12 of the Terms of the contract?OK, I’ll give you preferential / favorable terms on that.The delay in delivery caused by your side is a breach of contract.Follow up Practice (P48): Sample dialogue:A: Hello, I see from the Internet that you are a trading company who deals with sweaters and skirts in Guangdong Province. Is that right?B: Yes, that’s right. What can we do for you?A: We are a Nigerian company, and we’re looking to order some clothes.B: Good, we provide a variety of clothes. So what kind of clothes are you interested in?A: Sweaters and skirts. But would you please first tell me your minimum order?B: Our minimum order is set a 5,000 pieces.A: OK, that’s fine. I’ve selected two items from your online catalogue: item 6 and 18. But I would like to make some changes. Will you be able to accommodate me?B: Depending on what type of changes you want, it shouldn’t be a problem.A: For item 6, the sweater, I want the sweater to come in two additional sizes. Would you please add XXL and XXXL?B: OK. How about item 18?A: The size is OK with item 18. But we want to order both light and dark colors.B: I’m sorry to tell you that the light color ones are out of stock at present. Can we make it all darker colors?A: Oh that’s disappointing…Well, OK, in that case, we’ll order all darker colors.B: Thank you. Now let’s talk about the terms of payment…Sample dialogue2 (page52):A: Hello, I’d like to order 1,000 DSC-T5 Digital Cameras. But it’s important that we have them before July 31. Can you make it?B: I’m afraid that we can’t make it in such a short period of time. That’s only a month away. Would you consider any other models? A: What do you suggest?B: The DSC-T7. Actually, it’s an updated version of the T5. It has more functions.A: Would you please tell me the difference?B: The DSC-T7 has a 32 MB2 of International Flash Memory. Otherwise it’s the same as the DSC-T5.A: That sounds good. What about their prices?B: The DSC-T5 is $349.95 while the T7 is $449.95.A: I see. Would you be able to provide me with 500 of each?。
