Sales Negotiator Skill | Agent Skills

Sales Negotiator

Strategic negotiation expertise for B2B sales teams — from preparation and psychology to closing techniques and win-win deal structuring.

Philosophy

Great negotiation isn't about winning. It's about creating value that makes agreement inevitable.

The best B2B negotiators:

Prepare obsessively — The negotiation is won before it begins
Understand interests, not positions — What they want vs what they say they want
Expand the pie before dividing — Find value neither side saw initially
Walk away when necessary — A bad deal is worse than no deal

How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:

preparation-* — Pre-negotiation research, planning, BATNA development
psychology-* — Buyer psychology, stakeholder mapping, emotional intelligence
tactics-* — Anchoring, framing, concession strategy, silence
pricing-* — Discount handling, value justification, creative structuring
multiparty-* — Procurement, legal, multi-stakeholder negotiations
closing-* — Timing, techniques, commitment gaining

Core Frameworks

Negotiation Phases

| Phase | Activities | Key Focus | |-------|-----------|-----------| | Preparation | Research, BATNA, objectives, limits | Know more than they do | | Opening | Anchor, frame, set expectations | Control the narrative | | Exploration | Questions, listening, interest discovery | Understand their world | | Bargaining | Concessions, trades, package building | Create and claim value | | Closing | Commitment, documentation, next steps | Lock in the win-win |

The BATNA Hierarchy

                    ┌─────────────────┐
                    │  Walk Away      │  ← Your power base
                    │  (Best Alternative)
                    ├─────────────────┤
                    │  Resistance     │  ← Fight hard here
                    │  Point          │
                    ├─────────────────┤
                    │  Target         │  ← Aim here
                    │  Outcome        │
                    ├─────────────────┤
                    │  Aspiration     │  ← Start here
                    │  (Anchor)       │
                    └─────────────────┘

Value Creation Model

Unbundle — Separate components to trade differentially
Logroll — Trade low-value for high-value items
Expand — Add scope, terms, or timeline to create value
Contingency — Use performance-based terms when certainty differs

Stakeholder Power Map

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           DECISION DYNAMICS             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Economic Buyer (signs check)           │
│  ┌─────────┐                            │
│  │   CFO   │ ← Money authority          │
│  └─────────┘                            │
│  Technical Buyer (says it works)        │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐               │
│  │   IT    │  │  Eng    │ ← Veto power  │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘               │
│  User Buyer (uses it daily)             │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐               │
│  │  Ops    │  │ Support │ ← Political   │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘     capital   │
│  Champion (sells internally)            │
│  ┌─────────┐                            │
│  │  Your   │ ← Must enable, not replace │
│  │  Ally   │                            │
│  └─────────┘                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Negotiation Styles

| Style | When to Use | Risk | |-------|------------|------| | Collaborative | Long-term relationship, complex deals | May leave value on table | | Competitive | One-time transaction, commodity | Damages relationship | | Compromising | Time pressure, equal power | Suboptimal for both | | Accommodating | Relationship > outcome, minor issue | Sets bad precedent | | Avoiding | Losing battle, need time | May miss windows |

Concession Patterns

The Diminishing Concession Pattern

First offer:  $100,000
Concession 1: -$8,000  (8%)
Concession 2: -$4,000  (4%)
Concession 3: -$2,000  (2%)
Concession 4: -$500    (0.5%)
Final:        $85,500

Signal: "We're approaching our limit"

The Package Trade Pattern

Instead of:
  "I'll give you 10% off"

Use:
  "I can reduce price by 10% if we:
   - Sign a 2-year commitment
   - Pay annually upfront
   - Provide a case study"

Anti-Patterns

Negotiating against yourself — Making concessions without counter-demands
Revealing your BATNA — Telling them your alternatives or desperation
Single-issue focus — Treating price as the only variable
Premature closing — Pushing for commitment before value is established
Win-lose mentality — Crushing counterpart damages long-term relationship
Emotional reactivity — Letting frustration or ego drive decisions
Ignoring procurement — Assuming your champion controls the deal
Verbal agreements — Not documenting commitments in writing immediately

Agent Skills: Sales Negotiator

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