Negotiate Hard – or Go Home

Negotiation in sales is often painted as a gunfight — objections fired, counterpunches returned, a slick volley of point and counterpoint. In reality, it almost never happens like that.

More often, one party — usually the buyer — leans on their position to squeeze discounts. The seller, under pressure to close, folds. At best, they “meet in the middle.” Chris Voss calls this out brilliantly in Never Split the Difference. His example: a man can’t decide between brown or black shoes. He prefers brown, his partner prefers black. They “split the difference.” He ends up wearing one of each. Nobody wins.

Strong negotiation skills are not optional in business. They show up everywhere: in hiring, buying, selling, even in day-to-day collaboration. Yet most people are terrible at it.

Negotiation is like maths: everyone faces it, few think they’re good at it. But you don’t need genius to get better — just practice, confidence, and the willingness to make mistakes and learn.

This article is for anyone who wants to stop donating value and start negotiating like their deals depend on it. Because they do. It is based on my experience and what I think really matters.

Buying Is More Complex Than Ever

According to Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers describe their last purchase as difficult or very complex. Why? Six to ten stakeholders, each armed with different sources of information. Procurement quotes a whitepaper. Security leans on a peer. Finance pulls a spreadsheet. Compliance waves an audit checklist. None align. Your deal isn’t about “solution fit” anymore. It’s about herding cats.

Forrester adds more fuel: 86% of B2B purchases stall. Not because the tech fails — but because the process collapses under its own weight. Salespeople, feeling quota pressure, often panic at the worst time: when Procurement drops the “we need a discount” bomb.

Buyers Want Less of You — and More of You

Here’s the paradox. Gartner also found that 75% of buyers prefer a rep-free buying journey. They want to self-serve. But those same buyers report far more regret afterwards.

That’s your opening. You’re not just a seller. You’re the de-risker. The one who makes sense of chaos, aligns competing teams, and builds confidence.

Modern negotiation isn’t about beating buyers into submission. It’s about collaborating so both sides get what they need — without you bleeding out margin.

Reflection: How many deals in your current pipeline are really about your product, and how many are about helping the buyer make a safe decision without risking their career?

Why Negotiation Matters

At its core, negotiation is the art of securing outcomes that protect value. If you keep conceding value, two things happen:

• You need more deals to hit the same revenue.
• Or worse, you hit revenue but destroy margin, putting profitability at risk.
  

The Simon-Kucher Global B2B Study makes it clear:

• Price dominates – 72% of respondents cite price as the top priority in negotiations.
• The gap is growing – 68% of companies aimed to raise prices, while 55% of customers pushed for cuts.
• Ambition wins – Companies with ambitious price targets had 25% higher success rates.
• Preparation pays – 81% of successful negotiators had systematic prep tools like ROI calculators and strategy guides.
  

As Dr. Markus Mayer of Simon-Kucher puts it: “Contrary to expectations, companies that set ambitious negotiation targets are more likely to achieve them.” Translation: if you prep hard and aim high, you win more.

Mindset is the hardest part. The technique is learnable. But believing you deserve to negotiate — that’s the real hurdle. Nail that, and you’re halfway home.

Negotiation Is Constant Discipline

Negotiation doesn’t start at the pricing call. It starts at first contact. Every ask from a buyer — a POC, a technical doc, a roadmap discussion — is a moment of leverage. Too many sellers hand these over for free, thinking it builds goodwill. It doesn’t. It conditions the buyer to expect one-way concessions.

Flip the script. Treat every give as an opportunity to get. That early discipline sets the tone for the entire deal.

Negotiating by Email Is a Silent Killer

Gong’s data is blunt: win rates collapse when price is negotiated by email.

Why? Because email strips out nuance. You can’t mirror. You can’t label. You can’t read tone. Worse, email locks your price in writing — Procurement waves it around like gospel.

Negotiation is human. Email kills that. Handle price live. Full stop.

Negotiation Strategies from a Hostage Negotiator

Chris Voss didn’t write Never Split the Difference for SaaS sellers. But swap in Procurement, Legal, and Compliance for hostage takers, and it maps perfectly.

Here’s the toolkit — tested in hostage crises, and just as useful in late-stage enterprise deals.

1. The Accusation Audit

Say the worst about yourself before they do.

• Example (Procurement): “You’re probably going to think we’re expensive, that we’re inflexible on DPAs, and that I’ll resist your budget guardrails.”
• Why it works: Pre-empting objections disarms them. Buyers respect candor more than excuses.
• Pro tip: Don’t sugarcoat. Go darker than feels comfortable.
  

2. Mirroring + Labeling

Repeat the last few words they said, then label the emotion.

• Example (Security):
  Buyer: “Our infosec team is holding everything up.”
  You: “Holding everything up?” (mirror)
  You: “Sounds like they’re under deadline pressure.” (label)
• Why it works: Mirroring forces them to keep talking. Labeling shows you hear not just words but emotion. Neuroscience shows this builds trust.
• Pro tip: Use statements: “It seems like…” / “It sounds like…”.
  

3. Calibrated Questions

Ask “how” and “what” questions that shift problem-solving to them.

• Example (Finance): “What’s the path to a PO that protects your budget constraints and lands before quarter-end?”
• Why it works: Moves them from adversary to collaborator. Joint problem-solving increases both deal success and value captured.
• Pro tip: Never ask “why.” It sounds accusatory.
  

4. No-Oriented Questions

Flip yes-questions into no-questions so they feel safe.

• Example (Compliance): “Would it be ridiculous to phase implementation so your team can finish the DPA review?”
• Why it works: “Yes” feels like a trap. “No” gives them control.
• Pro tip: Softer framings like “Would it be out of the question if…” work well.
  

5. The “That’s Right” Checkpoint

Don’t talk numbers until they literally say, “That’s right.”

• Example (cross-functional group): “So what I’m hearing is Procurement needs predictability, Security is nervous about the DPA, and Finance is under quarter-end pressure. That’s the full picture, right?”
  Buyer: “That’s right.”
• Why it works: “That’s right” = true alignment. “You’re right” = lip service.
  Pro tip: If you don’t hear it, loop back with mirroring and labeling until you do.

6. Anchoring with Intent

Shape the zone of agreement by setting the first credible number.

• Example: “Deployments like this in EMEA typically land between £250K–£350K depending on SLAs and scope.”
• Why it works: Anchoring is one of the strongest biases in negotiation. The first credible number sets the frame.
• Pro tip: Never anchor by email. Always live.
  

Price Without Panic

Discount requests trigger panic. Panic triggers weak concessions.

The antidote is simple:

1. Fewer concessions than you want to make.
2. Smaller concessions than they expect.
3. Slower concessions than their pace.

And every give must equal a get.

Example tradeables:

• Discount ↔ Multi-year terms
• Flexible SLA ↔ Staged rollout
• Faster implementation ↔ Case study rights
• Payment terms ↔ Reference call
• Seat reduction ↔ Usage ramp with automatic step-up

Procurement Is Not the Enemy

Procurement’s job: reduce cost, manage risk, enforce precedent.
Your job: help them win internally — without giving away margin.

Ways to give Procurement a “win”:

• A timeline that matches budget deadlines
• An SLA that reduces risk exposure
• Payment terms that smooth cashflow

Simon-Kucher’s 2024 study found negotiators who switch between distributive (hold the line) and integrative (create new value) styles outperform. Be both tough and creative.

Field Prompts You Can Steal

Accusation Audit Starters:

• “You’re going to think we’re overpriced and inflexible…”
• “This is probably going to feel like Procurement’s nightmare…”
• “You’ll probably worry I’m pushing my quarter-end agenda over your priorities…”

Mirroring + Labeling:

• Buyer: “Legal is slowing everything.” → You: “Slowing everything?” … “Sounds like they’re under pressure not to miss details.”
• Buyer: “Finance won’t approve at this number.” → You: “Won’t approve at this number?” … “Seems like they’re boxed in by budget ceilings.”

Calibrated Questions:

• “What does a defensible deal look like for your Procurement team?”
• “How do we get this signed without creating audit headaches for you later?”
• “What’s the path to a PO that won’t cause Finance to push back?”
• “How am I supposed to reconcile that request with the implementation timeline you need?”

No-Oriented Questions:

• “Would it be ridiculous to pilot with a smaller cohort first?”
• “Is it out of the question to explore multi-year terms?”
• “Would it be a terrible idea to involve Security earlier so we don’t stall later?”

Anchoring Language:

• “For similar scale deployments, projects typically land between X and Y.”
• “Clients in your sector with similar compliance needs have landed here. Where should we not go wrong?”
• “The cost range is X–Y depending on scope. Which elements matter most for you?”

‘That’s Right’ Summaries:

• “So what I’m hearing is: Procurement needs predictability, Security needs DPA certainty, and Finance is under quarter-end stress. That’s the full picture, right?”
• “You’re saying cost is important, but risk and speed are equally pressing. That’s right?”

Final Thoughts

There are whole courses on negotiation. But the fundamentals are simple:

• Build reciprocity from the first conversation.
• Keep pricing live, not buried in email.
• Apply tactical empathy — mirror, label, audit, question.
• Prepare relentlessly.

You won’t win every time. But you’ll bleed less margin and close stronger deals.

Before your next negotiation, write down:

• 3 accusation audit lines
• 5 calibrated or no-oriented questions
• A tradeables menu

That prep will protect more value than any eleventh-hour discount.

Remember: Chris Voss’ wins were hostages walking out alive. Yours are deals signed without giving away the farm.

Stop splitting the difference. Negotiate hard — or go home.