What are some mistakes to avoid when negotiating with prospective customers?

• Set your targets. What do i want out of this negotiation.
• Know your margins and understand the importance of this customer to the company
• Be well informed about the other person-negotiator and his/her company.
• Know the market-products,competitors, industry charakteristics etc
• Establish rapport-understand body language try to undertand the other person but do not come to early conclutions about his/her personality-most of us do..
•  Listen well. We humans have two ears and one mouth!! so about35 to40%% of your time should be listening and asking the right questions. This will help you to understand better your customer.Good listening does not mean you just hear as the other person talks and  simultaneously prepare yourself  for your next answer or question
• Avoid interrupting the customer
• Never never offend the customer
• Stay calm do not get emotional ,insist on interests not positions
• Be well prepared having alternative solutions or what is called BATNA. Ask yourself what will happen if i say no to his/her proposals or if s/he says no to my proposals
• Separate the person from the problem. You may hate the other negotiator but what counts are the results out of the negotiation
• Check the tone of your voice
•  Recapitulate from time to time to make sure you are in line with the other party
• Aya this is just a small list one should have in mind .lf someone has behaved differently in one of the above areas most probably has done things in a mistaken .manner

Hello dear Aya,

avoid to think negative results, not to really listen with all your senses, about customer's needs.

Avoid not to make1000 questions in order to learn about her/his needs.Ask also how much time you have and ask how his/her day/week was!

worst of all, mentioning how much is your budget

Dear Aya,

one mistake is to view the negotiation as a fixed pie. 

Ask many questions, but LISTEN! Thus, you will learn the customer's real needs and expectations.

Don't go unprepared. Be prepared with a variety of solutions and build trust.

Also think very carefully about the concessions.

Always ask if he/she has any question or concerns.

You should be careful but positive.

We should not forget tcustomer pays our salary!

Thank you.