In my entire corporate sales and sales leadership career that spanned more than twenty years, I attended only one training ses- sion on negotiation. On that occasion, my sales manager used his personal budget to bring in a negotiation training company. In that training, I mostly learned how to negotiate as a buyer which was helpful that year when I was purchasing my first home. Once the training was complete, we called it good and moved on.We never reviewed the material again.
These one-and-done training events feel good but have little long-term impact. Leaders and sales enablement professionals fail to understand that sales negotiation skills are perishable and diminish over time. For this reason, if companies want their salespeople to negotiate at a higher level, there must be a commitment to both initial and ongoing training.
Negotiation is a fundamental part of being a sales professional. No matter who you are and what you sell, you are going to be required to negotiate with buyers.
The companies I worked for didn’t provide much in the uae telegram data way of negotiation training, but with my income on the line, I realized that if I didn’t become a better negotiator, I was going to pay a price. So, I resolved to invest in myself and get better. I read everything I could get my hands on about negotiation, paid my own way to attend negotiation seminars, and sought out mentors who could help me master negotiation skills, strategies, tactics, and techniques.
In sales, when you out-learn, you out-earn. To become an elite sales athlete, to keep your skills updated and sharp, and to become a master sales negotiator, you must invest your own money, time, and effort in books, audio books, workshops, and online learning pro- grams.You must subscribe to newsletters, podcasts, trade magazines, industry publications, blogs, and sales publications to stay current on your own industry and the sales profession.
Use your drive time wisely. The average inside salesperson has a commute of one to two hours a day. The average outside sales rep spends between four and five hours a day in a car.Turn your car into automobile university or your commute into train, Uber, bus, or plane university.
Invest that time in learning rather than listening to music or talk radio. Listening to educational and personal development audio programs during your commute or in your car can give you the equivalent of a university education many times over.