B2B Street Fighting against “I Can Get The Same Thing Cheaper”

foHas a prospective buyer ever told you “I can get the same thing cheaper?”

If so, one of the common pieces of coaching work I’ve performed with the owners of SMB IT companies is around sales negotiations.

For example, for most technicians who now find themselves as business owners, going into a sales situation can still feel awkward.

Therefore, going into the same situation with a buyer who is trying to knock you down on price can feel very uncomfortable indeed.

So, I was very interested when a mutual friend recently introduced me to Brian Dietmeyer, CEO of Think Inc, a US-based Consultancy that helps their clients improve negotiation technique.

B2B Street Fighting Against Cheap Tactics

Dietmeyer is also the author of B2B Street Fighting (buy on Amazon), a book based on techniques that you can use to change the negotiation conversation from the price of products to the value of solutions.

I was intrigued by the title, and I picked up the book to understand more about the work that Think Inc does.

I found B2B Street Fighting a really easy read!

The book is well written, has clear examples of common sales situations, and provides easy to understand advice that can help you improve your own technique for negotiations.

The analogy of a Street Fighter focuses on being a “lean, mean negotiation machine”.

Therefore, the book focuses on the very simple concept, but one which most of us appear to forget — that of being fully prepared for negotiations.

Negotiation Tactics are 97% Predictable

The book ascertains that negotiation tactics used by buyers are 97% predictable, and so there’s no excuse for not being prepared for them.

While the book mentions some scenarios that might be common to bigger deals, including those that involve professional buyers, anybody at the SMB level will also be familiar with the phrase “I can get the same thing cheaper”.

As a result, this book helps arm you with three techniques to bring the conversation back to a value-based discussion, rather than the all too familiar comparison of “Apples to Oranges” based on price.

I can get the same thing cheaper!

If you are somebody who finds themselves offering discounts or often beaten up on price, then I’d recommend this book.

Furthermore, if you feel less than comfortable in sales situations and negotiations then I’d also recommend this book.

This book should pay for itself the first time you use one of the techniques to avoid offering a discount to a prospective client!

B2B Street Fighting by Brian Dietmeyer is available to buy from Amazon.

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• Stop Writing Sales Proposals!
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photo credit: San Diego Shooter via photopin cc

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