Are you aware that you should be cautious when accepting negotiation support? When thinking of negotiation support, what do you consider? There could be a high price to pay if you’re not mindful of the support you receive and from whom it comes in a negotiation.

Most negotiators are very happy to receive support that leads to a successful negotiation outcome. At times, they’ll accept it from any source from which it arrives, not taking into consideration the potential quagmire that such may cause them in the future.

Consider the following insights before accepting support in your future negotiations. The insights will heighten your sense of awareness per the cost of the support you receive today and the impact it may have on you tomorrow. After all, you’re always negotiating (i.e. what you do today impacts future negotiations).

1. Be thoughtful about, the people who support you are also the people that could cause you to lose the support of others. That could occur because when you’re supported by one side, you could be opposed by those that oppose the side that supports you. Thus, those that oppose your supporters may oppose you.

Before accepting support in a negotiation, weigh the value of that support. In particular, assess to what degree you’re gaining more value from your supporters than what you might lose if you didn’t accept their support. Once you accept their support, you could be tied to that support (i.e. their side) for future negotiations.

2. When you accept support, if what is sought in return is not stated, you issue an invisible chit whose reckoning could be substantial; be mindful of that. You may not realize it at the time, but that chit is valuable to its holder. Depending on its perceived value and when it’s called due, it could prove to be worth more than the support you received in the negotiation. “You should do this for me because you owe me; remember how I helped you out?” Those words could be the ringing sound of despair that pummels your mind when it comes to repayment if the price is too high.

3. If you find yourself in a negotiation position whereby you have to accept support from a source to whom a repayment will be high, negotiate with that source before accepting the support. That may be akin to having dual negotiations occurring simultaneously, but it will be better for you in the long run if you do so. To offset potential angst, attempt to place the initial negotiation on temporary recess while addressing the second one.

4. Be aware of the image your supporters cast. As stated about opposing sides and the value, or lack of, associated with one side versus the other, the wrong image can cause you to be viewed in a bad negotiation light in future negotiations. You’ve heard the cliché, ‘birds of a feather, flock together’. If you don’t want to be cast in a particular image and your supporters project that image, forgo their support.

Never engage in a negotiation whereby you seek leverage from a source that’s too costly to obtain. Always weigh your options cautiously before accepting an offer of support. Even if you have to lose the current negotiation by foregoing the costly expense of the leveraged offering, you’ll be better off. That may turn out to be a situation in which you lose in order to win in the long run… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

One of the most important things in phone sales is the pitch of your voice, pitch can determine whether the caller sounds genuine, yes they are interested in my business, yes they can solve my problem, yes they are clear and concise in their tone of voice and they may be someone I want to discuss doing business with further. If you sound mundane or uninterested in the client it comes through on the phone, so does scripted jargon that usually turns people off.

Presentation is also a very important point in phone sales. How are you going to present your idea? Better yet, How are you going to present your idea to your specific potential client? What do you know about their business? What is your product or service exactly going to do for them? What are there current problems that you think you can solve? Why do you think you can solve their problems? Have you helped other clients solve the same problems recently? You want to be brief in you initial conversation, have an opening greeting that reveals something about your company, acknowledges their time, and discusses your opportunity with the ability for you to gauge their interest going further. Then if it is useful, spend more time but ensure to get a meeting or follow-up call booked.

Plan, you must have a plan. You must ask yourself specific “what if” questions so when you present you conversation you are able to answer objections. What if some of the information you have gathered about the company has changed or is no longer valid, how are you going to handle that? What if the contact you were given no longer works there? What if they have already purchased a similar product or solution or are in the process of talks and do not want to talk to any other potential firms? These are questions you must think about when you are planning out your conversation to the potential client. What if the client is very turned off by your phone call?, how will you handle this? Also plans may have changed within the company in terms of organization, structure, budget cost and needs, these you will have to determine from asking fact-finding questions.

One of the most important questions may be, What if you can’t get a conversation with the decision-maker? How will you get your presentation and facts to them. You might have to use mail, fax, video conferencing or another tool, or have a promotional event or luncheon that invites them. These are some of the ways you may overcome their rejections. Make sure to follow up at least 3 times with a client in a relevant and timely manner, no one hates anything more than being bothered for the same reason, or just to be sold something.

Everyone has to make a sales presentation at one point in their life. Whether it’s for a class presentation, a job interview, or trying to sell a product or service almost everyone will have to present to a live audience. Obviously, it is very important to be a good public speaker. Whether you are trying to get a good grade in a class, get a new job, or make a sale; you only get one shot to impress your audience. In this article we are going to discuss some of the key characteristics of a successful sales presentation.

One of the first things we will discuss is to make sure you know your audience. It is very important to know who you are presenting in front of. You can tailor your message accordingly depending on your audience. Are you presenting in front of a class of students or a panel of directors to try and get a job? The content of your presentation should be altered accordingly.

Once you know who you are presenting in front of you should decide if you need to create a PowerPoint presentation to go along with your presentation. In most situations a PowerPoint can help you gain the attention of your audience and keep them focused on your slides. They are very professional tools and used in most sales presentations. Of course, you probably would not create a PowerPoint when applying for a new job.

Now, let’s talk about the actual presentation itself. First, make sure you are dressed professionally and come prepared. Make sure you have your index cards in hand and your PowerPoint presentation ready. You want to speak slowly and clearly so everyone can hear you. If you have anything to pass out to your audience do it at the end so they aren’t focused on it while you are presenting. Your content should be well structured including a beginning, middle, and end. If you are selling a product or service make sure to ask for the sale. Always allow time at the end of the presentation for the audience to ask questions.

As you can see there are many factors to consider when giving a sales presentation. Be professional, know your audience, and use a PowerPoint in most circumstances. Make sure your content is relevant to your topic and your audience. Keep in mind how long your presentation is and try to stay within a 15 minute timeframe. Most importantly, ask for the sale and make sure to leave enough time at the end for a question and answer session.