The hidden truth of enterprise selling: negotiation doesn’t end at close If you sell into mid-market or enterprise accounts, the contract is not the finish line. It’s a starting gun. After signature, customers renegotiate in quieter ways—through implementation requests, service expectations, internal politics, and procurement process. What looks like “account...
Why rep-level negotiation advice fails sales leaders Most sales negotiation content focuses on rep basics—objection handling scripts, “always ask for the order,” or quick responses to “What’s your best price?” Helpful, but incomplete for leaders. Sales leaders face different problems. You’re navigating multi-stakeholder committees, pricing pressure that spills into renewals...
The Importance of Preparing Your BATNA In business as in life, you don’t get what you deserve—you get what you negotiate. And the key to negotiating with confidence and power often comes down to one thing: preparation. At the heart of that preparation is your BATNA—your Best Alternative to...
What Is a Deadlock in Negotiation? A deadlock in negotiation occurs when neither side is willing to make concessions or alter their position, leaving talks stuck. In these moments, the parties often circle around the same points without forward movement. Deadlocks may happen because of deeply conflicting interests, lack...
Why Negotiation Exercises Matter Negotiation cannot be mastered by reading about tactics or observing others. Like any performance skill, it requires deliberate, repeated practice in realistic situations. Negotiation skills exercises replicate the pressures of deal-making—scarcity of resources, time constraints, and the give-and-take of concessions. These scenarios allow professionals to...
The Importance of Negotiation in Conflict Resolution Conflict isn’t just a workplace inevitability—it’s a workplace reality. When people collaborate, especially under pressure, disagreements are bound to arise. But the presence of conflict isn’t the issue; the way it’s addressed is what matters most. Negotiation offers a path through workplace conflict...
The Importance of Negotiation on the Corporate Level Corporate negotiations are at the heart of business success. Whether it’s closing deals, managing vendors, or resolving internal conflicts, negotiation determines outcomes that affect profitability, relationships, and long-term strategy. Yet negotiation is too often approached as an ad-hoc skill, learned through...
What Is a Reservation Price in Negotiation? Your reservation price is your absolute bottom line. It’s the final offer you’re willing to accept before you choose to walk away from the negotiation. If you’re selling, it’s the lowest price you’re willing to take. If you’re buying, it’s the most...
Why Emotions Matter in Negotiation Many people think negotiation is purely logical—about numbers, contracts, and outcomes. Yet research and practice both show that emotions and negotiation are deeply intertwined. Anger, frustration, anxiety, and excitement can all influence the choices people make at the bargaining table. Emotional negotiation examples are...
Understanding the ‘Slicing the Salami’ Tactic In negotiation, the most dangerous concessions are often the ones that seem too small to matter. That’s the essence of “slicing the salami,” a classic tactic where one side gradually extracts multiple small concessions—each seemingly insignificant on its own—until the cumulative effect significantly...
The Importance of Knowing Your Best Price In every negotiation, the question often comes early: “What’s your best price?” For sellers, this can feel like a trap; for buyers, it’s a strategy. It’s a question that holds weight—sometimes used to apply pressure, sometimes to test boundaries, and other times...
What is the Phony Acceptance Stall Tactic? In the world of negotiation, few tactics are as emotionally manipulative—and ethically questionable—as the Phony Acceptance Stall Tactic. Most often encountered in real estate transactions, this tactic preys on a buyer’s hope and emotional investment by pretending that an offer is moving...
The Importance of Planning Before a Negotiation Negotiation is not a battle but a process. Effective negotiators know that success begins long before anyone sits at the table. It starts with systematic planning. The Strategic Planning Pyramid—what we at Karrass call the Pyramid of Planning—is a framework that guides...
Have questions or need assistance? Reach out to our team