Negotiation skills are some of the most important tools in a salesperson’s toolbox. Despite their best efforts, many sellers make the same mistakes in negotiations, like being inflexible, showing a lack of confidence, or being overly fixated on costs, leading to lost profits.
RED BEAR’s negotiation model trains professionals to avoid those costly mistakes and provides skills, tools, and behaviors to negotiate effectively.
Our negotiation model is trusted by companies across every industry, from Fortune 500 to high-growth start-ups.
So, how does the RED BEAR negotiation model work?
RED BEAR adopts a three-dimensional negotiation model centered around embracing (and not fearing) tension. Tension is inherent in the negotiation process, and we believe in the power of embracing that tension and working with it as a positive force to move conversations forward.
See the model below.
On the left side is the competitive dimension. You want to grow your company, but not at any cost. Your company needs to grow while preserving and protecting your own interests.
On the right side is the collaborative dimension. You have a requirement to not simply maintain existing relationships, but to enhance them, often in the face of excessive or unrealistic demands.
These two dimensions create tension — this is the classic “price-value” conversation.
The RED BEAR negotiation model teaches your team that tension is healthy and gives them the confidence and competence to manage it effectively to move beyond any impasse that may arise.
This takes us to the creative dimension, where your team explores value-for-value exchanges, focusing on the pieces that are of high value to the other party but low cost to you, setting the stage for profitable negotiations.
If we put it all together, our philosophy looks like this:
When negotiators master all three of these dimensions, the result is profitable and sustainable agreements. This model ensures all negotiations resonate with your vision of how your team should interact with your customers, suppliers, partners, and key stakeholders.
- Jeff Robinson, PROS General Sales Manager“I can tell you [what has] been very behavior-changing in terms of what we needed to do on the sales side. The first one is running towards positive tension. Too often, our sales reps want to avoid a conflict. Ever since SNS (Situational Negotiation Skills™), we are a lot more comfortable with the positive tension you can use to put yourself in a strong position.”
Watch our video about our negotiation model to get the full picture of the RED BEAR negotiation philosophy.
We are pros at transforming people, teams, and organizations into world-class negotiators. Companies trust us to accelerate revenue, reduce costs, drive greater alignment, improve cross-cultural expertise, and support the achievement of other critical corporate goals.
We offer training for sales professionals, procurement departments, cross-cultural negotiations, and so much more.
Ready to speak with our team about next steps? Get in touch today, and let’s strengthen your team’s negotiation skills.