Dear Carnegie Coach,

I am a sales professional who has just broken in to the sales field. Since I am new to this career field, I am still trying to figure out the most successful ways to close a deal with my customers. It seems that the customers I deal with are not accepting my offers as I present them. Do you have any advice?

Allison

Dear Allison

Welcome to the world of sales! One main thing that salespeople everywhere need to know how do to is negotiate with their customers. Negotiating has the ability to increase both volume and profit, when done effectively. It is important to develop negotiation strategies so that you can win each sale! Here are some points to remember about negotiating with clients.

1. There should be three stages of every negotiation. Learning the other person’s goals and establishing what you want will direct the flow of the discussion. Gather information on the other person and his or her needs by doing your homework. The goal should be to reach a compromise. And both parties should leave the negotiation satisfied.

2. Work with, not against, others in determining neutrally beneficial solutions. Try to create a win-win situation. Your customer should feel good about the transaction and you should walk away happy about your sale. Never attempt an offer too quickly; you don’t want to think you could have done better twenty minutes later, nor would you want to leave anything out.

3. Finalize all agreements.
Don’t depend on working out all the details later. Time pressures cause us to be vulnerable to compromise and human errors as well as the customer backing out later claiming certain points were not discussed. Offer to write up the agreement, if possible. There are always small points that are unclear. When you write the agreement, you define those points.

4. Follow through.
Do what you said you would do and do it when you said you would do it. Make sure the customer follows through on their end of the agreement.

Getting fired doesn't mean the end of your career. It could actually work to your advantage. Here's what Peter Handal had to say in a recent interview with CW11 News.

CW11 News Video

January 2, 2008 By Carrie Mason-Draffen, Newsday Blog

Creativity is something that companies love to talk about, but few do anything to foster it on a systematic basis. “The monotony of day-to-day systems can sometimes stagnate the creative juices in employees,” says Peter Handal, the president and CEO of Dale Carnegie Training in Haupauge.

To build a creative environment, he suggests that companies:

-Hold brainstorming sessions. “Set up a brainstorming session and be the first to throw out a radical idea that contradicts current practices,” Handal says. “Emphasize that ideas such as this are not necessarily going to be carried out, but are to be used as stimulus.”

-Create a trusting environment. “The key to unleashing creativity is to provide a space where employees feel comfortable brainstorming and conveying ideas that may be more adventurous than usual,” Handal says.

-Provide training and vocational opportunities. “Organize workshops for your employees to improve leadership skills and interoffice communications,” he says. “Courses such as these promote the idea of speaking to one another and playing off co-worker’s concepts.”

-Be open and accessible. “Employees may not approach you with ideas and opportunities as they think they do not have the right to interrupt your day,” he says. “Make it known that the door is always open to all ideas.”

-Ask for feedback. “The simple act of soliciting requests from your employees is an effortless task that will confirm your loyalty to and investment in your staff’s happiness,” he says.