Learn powerful closing and sales negotiation tactics that unlock yes and seal the deal.
Each year, sales professionals leave billions of dollars on the table because they are out gunned, out maneuvered, and out played by savvy buyers, who have been schooled in the art and science of negotiation.
Because today’s buyers have more power than ever before - more information, more at stake, and more control over the buying process - they almost always enter sales negotiations in a much stronger position than the salespeople on the other side of the table. The results are sadly predictable: salespeople and their companies end up on the losing end of the deal.
In this brutal paradigm, if you fail to master the skills, strategies, and tactics to go toe-to-toe with modern buyers and win at the sales negotiation table, your income and long-term earning potential will suffer - along with your company’s growth, profits, and market valuation.
In his new book INKED: The Ultimate Guide to Powerful Closing and Sales Negotiation Tactics that Unlock YES and Seal the Deal, Jeb Blount levels the playing field by giving you the strategies, tactics, techniques, skills, and human-influence frameworks required to become a powerful and effective sales negotiator.
In his signature, straightforward style, Jeb pulls no punches. He slaps you right in the face with the cold, hard truth and lays bare the reasons why you keep getting beaten by buyers who have been trained in how to play you. Then, he teaches you exactly what you need to know, do, and say to gain more control and more power over the outcomes of your deals, and WIN.
You’ll learn:
- Seven Immutable Rules of Sales Negotiation
- Why “Win-Win” Usually Means “You-Lose”
- The One Rule of Sales Negotiation You Must Never Break
- How to Leverage the Powerful MLP Strategy to Bend Win Probability in Your Favor
- The ACED Buyer Persona Model and How to Flex to Buyer Communication Styles
- Seven Principles of Effective Sales Negotiation Communication
- How to Leverage the DEAL Sales Negotiation Framework to Control the Negotiation Conversation and Get Ink
- How to Gain the Advantage with Comprehensive Sales Negotiation Planning Strategies and Tools
- Powerful Negotiation Psychology and Influence Frameworks that Keep You in Control of the Conversation
- How to Rise Above the Seven Disruptive Emotions that are Holding You Back at the Sales Negotiation Table
- How to Protect Yourself from the Psychological Games that Buyers Play
With these powerful tactics in your sales arsenal, you will approach sales negotiations with the confidence and power to take control of the conversation and get the prices, terms, and conditions that you deserve.
INKED is the most comprehensive Sales Negotiation resource ever developed for the sales profession. Unlike so many other negotiating books that ignore the reality sellers face in the rapid-fire, real world of the sales profession, INKED is a sales-specific negotiation primer.
You’ll learn directly from one of the most sought-after and celebrated sales trainers of our generation. Following in the footsteps of his blockbuster bestsellers Fanatical Prospecting, Sales EQ, and Objections, Jeb Blount's INKED puts the same strategies employed by his clients - a who’s who of the world’s most prestigious organizations - right into your hands.
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Part I Introduction to Sales Negotiation 1
Chapter 1 Sales Negotiation as a Discipline 3
Chapter 2 Salespeople Suck at Negotiating 9
Chapter 3 The Devil is Discounting: The Case for Improving Sales Negotiation Skills 17
Chapter 4 Sales Negotiation Skills are Not One-Size-Fits-All 25
Part II On Winning 31
Chapter 5 Sales Negotiation is About Winning for Your Team 33
Chapter 6 Sales Negotiation Rule One: Win First, Then Negotiate 41
Chapter 7 Timing Matters: Avoid Negotiating Red Herrings and Objections 49
Chapter 8 Four Levels of Sales Negotiation 55
Part III Sales Negotiation Strategy: Motivation, Leverage, and Power 61
Chapter 9 MLP Strategy 63
Chapter 10 Motivation 65
Chapter 11 Leverage 81
Chapter 12 Power Position 95
Chapter 13 Discovery: The Fine Art of Building Your Case 111
Chapter 14 Qualifying 121
Part IV Emotional Discipline 131
Chapter 15 The Seven Disruptive Emotions 133
Chapter 16 Developing Emotional Self-Control 137
Chapter 17 Relaxed, Assertive Confidence 143
Chapter 18 Emotional Contagion: People Respond in Kind 147
Chapter 19 Preparation and Practice 151
Chapter 20 The Ledge Technique 157
Chapter 21 Willpower and Emotional Discipline are Finite 163
Chapter 22 The Pipe is Life: The Real Secret to Emotional Discipline 167
Part V Sales Negotiation Planning 169
Chapter 23 Be Prepared to Negotiate 171
Chapter 24 Authority and Nonnegotiables 175
Chapter 25 Stakeholder Negotiation Profiles, Negotiation List, BATNA Ranking 181
Chapter 26 Developing Your Give-Take Playlist 187
Part VI Sales Negotiation Communication 199
Chapter 27 Seven Rules of Effective Sales Negotiation Communication 201
Chapter 28 ACED: Navigating the Four Primary Stakeholder Communication Styles 207
Chapter 29 Empathy and Outcome: The Dual Process Approach 217
Chapter 30 Seven Keys to Effective Listening 225
Chapter 31 Activating the Self-Disclosure Loop 231
Part VII The DEAL Sales Conversation Framework 235
Chapter 32 A Seat at the Table 237
Chapter 33 Discover 241
Chapter 34 Explain Your Position 257
Chapter 35 Align on an Agreement 269
Chapter 36 Lock It Down 287
Chapter 37 The Next Chapter and the Race to Relevance 291
Notes 299
Acknowledgments 301
Training, Workshops, and Speaking 303
About the Author 305
Index 307
