Negotiating Guidelines for Field Representatives and Account Managers
© 1996, 1991 Situation Management Systems, Inc.
Sales people in the field, and often account managers based at
headquarters, must fill three key roles: Selling, Mediating, and
Negotiating. To be effective, reps must understand when and
how to perform each role.
Selling: A sales representative determines the explicit needs of a customer, and, if
possible, presents the product in a favorable light based on understanding those needs.
These actions are designed to enhance the probability of a buyer’s agreement to buy the
product. To be a seller, you must be empowered to contact potential customers, present
your product, and solicit business.
Negotiating: A sales representative personally resolves conflicting interests and positions
between the customer and him- or herself, and so brings about agreement. Both the seller
and the buyer are empowered by their organization to resolve the conflict by offering
currencies of exchange that bridge the gap and satisfy underlying needs.
In order to negotiate an agreement with a buyer, you also must be empowered to change
the parameters of your position and accept, at least tentatively, changes in the position of
the other party.
If you are a sales manager, you should determine carefully your own role in the resolution
of a specific conflict with a customer. If you want to negotiate directly rather than let the rep
handle it, clarify your role with your rep and ensure an understanding of the role that you
expect to play. If you want the rep to negotiate the issue, ensure that you have provided
adequate flexibility so that the rep can modify positions and make appropriate exchanges
without having to consult you at every step.
Mediating: A seller may enhance the process of negotiation between a customer and
someone else whom the seller represents. This activity requires a thorough knowledge of
negotiation as a process, as well as an impartial willingness to problem solve to help the
other parties negotiate effectively.
Handling conflicting positions at the account interface is complicated. Sometimes a rep
finds that an internal negotiation (for example, with one’s own sales manager) is necessary
before any work can be done with the customer. In this case, the rep is well-advised to
ensure that the internal conflict is resolved—and that all stake holders are clear about their
respective roles—prior to entering discussion with the customer. Note that we have been
careful to say “discussion,” not “negotiation.” The rep may find that the appropriate role is
to mediate the negotiation process between the customer and a different key person from
the selling organization. Understanding the difference between the role of mediator and
negotiator reduces confusion for the buyer as well as for the seller.
Most sales representatives identify with the role of mediator. They probably have not had a
label for such behavior, and they may even have been confusing the mediator’s role with
negotiation. If so, they are glad to recognize the difference. In order to be a good mediator,
a rep must be thoroughly skilled in the rules and process of negotiation: it is the mediator’s
responsibility to ensure that the process is running smoothly and that the parties involved
in the actual negotiation are working in good faith. A mediator is also aware of and
sensitive to the emotions that are generated on both sides during a negotiation.
As a rep, you have to carry your deal back to your own organization. Suppose you have
just successfully negotiated a deal with a buyer. Now, you should recognize that the
internal negotiation—advocating the deal made with the buyer upward in the seller’s
organization—is sometimes harder than negotiating with the buyer. Sometimes sellers have
the attitude that they should not have to negotiate internally. It is good to remember that
there is not always a right answer to internal situations. Reps who are skilled at these
internal negotiations provide additional value: they clarify and enhance the position of the
selling organization to itself. Good sellers remember to bring the skills learned in external
negotiations (with buyers) to the internal table.
Get Trained! Learn more about these concepts and their application in our Negotiation
Strategy and Tactics Program.
From Situation Management Systems' Managing Negotiation, Selected Readings on Negotiation Skills (New
Hampshire: Situation Management Systems, Inc., 1991).All rights reserved. No part of this reading shall be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise—without written permission from Situation Management Systems, Inc.
© 1996, 1991 Situation Management Systems, Inc.
Sales people in the field, and often account managers based at
headquarters, must fill three key roles: Selling, Mediating, and
Negotiating. To be effective, reps must understand when and
how to perform each role.
Selling: A sales representative determines the explicit needs of a customer, and, if
possible, presents the product in a favorable light based on understanding those needs.
These actions are designed to enhance the probability of a buyer’s agreement to buy the
product. To be a seller, you must be empowered to contact potential customers, present
your product, and solicit business.
Negotiating: A sales representative personally resolves conflicting interests and positions
between the customer and him- or herself, and so brings about agreement. Both the seller
and the buyer are empowered by their organization to resolve the conflict by offering
currencies of exchange that bridge the gap and satisfy underlying needs.
In order to negotiate an agreement with a buyer, you also must be empowered to change
the parameters of your position and accept, at least tentatively, changes in the position of
the other party.
If you are a sales manager, you should determine carefully your own role in the resolution
of a specific conflict with a customer. If you want to negotiate directly rather than let the rep
handle it, clarify your role with your rep and ensure an understanding of the role that you
expect to play. If you want the rep to negotiate the issue, ensure that you have provided
adequate flexibility so that the rep can modify positions and make appropriate exchanges
without having to consult you at every step.
Mediating: A seller may enhance the process of negotiation between a customer and
someone else whom the seller represents. This activity requires a thorough knowledge of
negotiation as a process, as well as an impartial willingness to problem solve to help the
other parties negotiate effectively.
Handling conflicting positions at the account interface is complicated. Sometimes a rep
finds that an internal negotiation (for example, with one’s own sales manager) is necessary
before any work can be done with the customer. In this case, the rep is well-advised to
ensure that the internal conflict is resolved—and that all stake holders are clear about their
respective roles—prior to entering discussion with the customer. Note that we have been
careful to say “discussion,” not “negotiation.” The rep may find that the appropriate role is
to mediate the negotiation process between the customer and a different key person from
the selling organization. Understanding the difference between the role of mediator and
negotiator reduces confusion for the buyer as well as for the seller.
Most sales representatives identify with the role of mediator. They probably have not had a
label for such behavior, and they may even have been confusing the mediator’s role with
negotiation. If so, they are glad to recognize the difference. In order to be a good mediator,
a rep must be thoroughly skilled in the rules and process of negotiation: it is the mediator’s
responsibility to ensure that the process is running smoothly and that the parties involved
in the actual negotiation are working in good faith. A mediator is also aware of and
sensitive to the emotions that are generated on both sides during a negotiation.
As a rep, you have to carry your deal back to your own organization. Suppose you have
just successfully negotiated a deal with a buyer. Now, you should recognize that the
internal negotiation—advocating the deal made with the buyer upward in the seller’s
organization—is sometimes harder than negotiating with the buyer. Sometimes sellers have
the attitude that they should not have to negotiate internally. It is good to remember that
there is not always a right answer to internal situations. Reps who are skilled at these
internal negotiations provide additional value: they clarify and enhance the position of the
selling organization to itself. Good sellers remember to bring the skills learned in external
negotiations (with buyers) to the internal table.
Get Trained! Learn more about these concepts and their application in our Negotiation
Strategy and Tactics Program.
From Situation Management Systems' Managing Negotiation, Selected Readings on Negotiation Skills (New
Hampshire: Situation Management Systems, Inc., 1991).All rights reserved. No part of this reading shall be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise—without written permission from Situation Management Systems, Inc.
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interpersonal skills, training, business training, harvard, positive power and influence, communication, change
management, management training, positive negotiation, negotiation skills, presentation skills, meeting management,
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management training, supervisory skills training, supervisory skills, change management training, communication
training, positive power and influence program, PPI, presentation skills training, meeting management training,
interpersonal skills, training, business training, harvard, positive power and influence, communication, change
management, management training, positive negotiation, negotiation skills, presentation skills, meeting management,
effective meetings, influence without authority, situation management, train the trainer, customer service, conversation,
skill building, experiential training, experiential, interactive training, call center coaching, call center training, contact
center training, contact center coaching, telephone sales, e-mail communication, email communication, customer
service training, technical support training, field rep training, customer service for field reps, customer service for
technical support, getting to the heart of, getting to the heart of customer service, getting to the heart of technical
support, getting to the heart of email, the other side of service
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