How to bargain, or price negotiations in practice

For starters, it is worth considering what the negotiations are about and how to lead them in a professional way that increases the likelihood you’ll obtain satisfactory sales conditions. There are many different definitions of negotiation. One of the most commonly used assumes that negotiations are any form of communication between two parties in which the aim is to agree on a common position in a given matter. In business, we use negotiations when the interests of both parties exhibit both similarities and differences, and when they want to enter into an agreement to eliminate the existing differences.

Given the above, it should come as no surprise that negotiations are one of the best ways to solve difficult sales situations. They are considered the best way to relieve tensions in B2B and B2C contacts.

The above definition should impose a certain way of thinking, in which we treat negotiations as a permanent element of our work technique, and in which we always try to be prepared for negotiations. The higher the rate and the greater the possibility of obtaining a more profitable contract, the more likely our business partner will be determined to maximize their benefits and, therefore, negotiate the purchase price with us.

Before you negotiate

However, before we start preparing our strategy for this type of situation, it’s worth making sure that in our relationship with our counterpart we have the space to negotiate anything at all. There are situations in which negotiating makes no sense or is unfavourable to us. It is generally assumed that the basic criteria for undertaking such negotiations are: common sense, efficiency, and the opportunity and ability to bring them to a successful conclusion. While the last two criteria seem relatively clear, “common sense” may be an ambiguous criterion. Therefore, if one party’s demands are emotional and not based on rational premises, you should very carefully consider whether to engage in conversations at all.