Why you have to check out today’s podcast: 

• Learn about the key rules on negotiation to help you carry out your winning strategies 
• Learn about the winning idea of concessions that you can apply in negotiation    
• Learn how to meet the needs and wants of stakeholders who are coming from different perspectives to foster value-driven conversation

 

Mark Raffan is a lover of negotiation, marketing, and behavioral science. Over the last few years, he started and grown c Podcast to be the #1 negotiation podcast in the world. 

 

In this episode, Mark shares his insights about the negative viewpoints around procurement and how to close winning deals through value-driven negotiation. Learn about the negotiation skills and strategies necessary for you to execute your action plan. 

 

“Always ask for more than you expect to get.”
– Mark Raffan

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Topics Covered: 

 01:23 – From a sales and procurement background, one thing led to another and finally to negotiation. That’s how Mark would describe his journey towards negotiation. 

03:29 – If it is a way to make you believe a certain thing that isn’t necessarily true, but not saying a lie, then you’re just being psychologically conditioned to believe one thing. This is in defense of the procurement guys. 

 06:26 – Sales and procurement are coming into an antagonistic viewpoint of each other. This doesn’t help in reaching a value-driven conversation. 

 08:49 – Mark’s thoughts on the zero-sum game of pricing. 

 09:28 – The more that we can just have rational, normal conversations, I think it’s just going to be better for everyone. Mark’s idea of getting an alignment where sales and procurement are concerned 

 11:33 – People’s misconception about negotiation is that you can’t ask. Mark clears that up. 

 12:15 – There is ego involved in not asking. This is the reason why negotiation fails. 

 14:33 – What is expected of negotiations – making sure that someone feels actually good about the negotiation, making everyone believe that you’re meeting those needs and wants for every discussion. 

15:55 – What a value-based conversation should be – asking why? 

17:14 – Patience wins. How Mark agreed to that 

 17:31 – Don’t let your CEO negotiate. Mark states his agreement to that 

18:02 – If you give something, you get to get something. Giving his thoughts about the idea of concessions 

 21:14 – Shut your mouth. This is one great negotiation tip Mark shares 

 22:29 – Mark’s piece of advice – Plan. Doing strategy work and research will help in your success. 

 23:23 – Why do the planning? Understanding the value on the other side of the table helps you execute those strategies 

 24:53 – Sharing his best pricing advice 

 25:26 – What is it that Mark convinced Mark Stiving about? 

 

Key Takeaways: 

 “We have different needs and wants. And so obviously you have to try and meet those needs and wants for every discussion. Or make the person believe that you’re meeting those needs and wants for every discussion.”  – Mark Raffan 

 “You should never be doing a one-way concession and you  should never be committing to a concession before getting a commitment in return.”  – Mark Raffan 

 “So many of us go into a negotiation negotiating with ourselves before we even go in. We think that we’re going to be asking for too much.”   – Mark Raffan “There’s got to be some additional reasons why you want the sale. And the reason that you do the planning is to build up the strategy so that you can get those reasons executed.”  – Mark Raffan 

 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Storynomics: Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World by Robert Mckee 

 

Connect With Mark Raffan: 

• LinkedIn 

 

Connect with Mark Stiving:    

• Email: [email protected]     
• LinkedIn     
• Twitter