Negotiations with clients: 6 techniques from the practice of web-studio

In this post I want to talk about our experience and the established methods of conducting negotiations when selling the services of an interactive agency. Through trial and error, over several years we have developed a certain approach to negotiations that helps us to "win" customers.


1. Good preliminary training.
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It does not sound banal, but good preparation for negotiations is the basis, without which even the coolest tricks can not help.

It is important to study the website of a potential client, a preliminary brief (if any), to collect information about the company from open sources, etc. Pre-examine the location of the office and calculate the time to travel (which is especially important considering traffic jams). You can make a selection of cases similar to the subject. Clients love when there are jobs in a portfolio that overlap with their activities.

Prepare in advance the answers to possible objections, taking into account the characteristics of the client and the complexity of the project.
We have, for example, prepared a list of the most frequent customer objections with our responses to them (structured by services). From this cheat sheet you can quickly refresh the information before any negotiations.

2. The team leaves for negotiations

A team of several employees often travels to meet with a potentially interesting client. Usually these are two (sales and PM / executive director), less often three employees (+ tech. Dir or executive director). Such a "landing" in the eyes of the client looks more impressive and more solid than the arrival of one sales manager.

A clear allocation of roles in the negotiations helps us to conduct the meeting in the right way. The team of negotiators is also an opportunity to secure each other in case of difficult and unexpected issues and situations. The negotiation team is particularly relevant in cases where the client also has several employees.

It makes sense for a team of negotiators to select people who meet two simple requirements:

• They like to sell
• They love and understand web-development and internet marketing.

Such negotiators cause a potential client much more confidence than professional salespeople from other fields of activity.

We usually discuss past negotiations. Such an exchange of views helps us to dive deeper into the project and better develop further tactics of working with the client.

3. Surprise the customer

This is probably one of the key moments of the negotiations. All presentations and negotiations are similar and often follow the same scenario. If we can surprise a client with any branded "chip", then we immediately rebuild from competitors and bring the likelihood of a deal closer.

Personally, I like to communicate with customers when they turn into a clot of attention, and eagerly catch every word. This happens when we tell an interesting case from a subject close to the client, or we are interested in a new service.

For example, we had a lot of stories about the possibilities of the Webvisor service with a demonstration. Our other trick is the development and optimization of landing pages with examples and results.

4. Tell a beautiful story

This item echoes the previous one. In our practice, we realized that everyone loves to listen to stories. A description of any case will suit you, with a detailed account of how you successfully solved the client’s problem. The rehearsal and emotional presentation of several such stories (with a good end, of course) is a very important element of successful negotiations.

Stories should not be very long and not too distant from your actual practice.

5. Let the client speak and open up (make an emotional connection)

It is important to listen to the client more, ask leading questions, identify the real needs of the client and clarify the expectations of the upcoming work. Show your interest in the project, motivate the client to tell the nuances that usually remain outside the standard brief. Your enthusiasm will work for you, especially in comparison with melancholic or, on the contrary, too pretentious competitors.

Emotionally carried away and immersed in the details of the project, the client mentally brings the likelihood of the transaction with you.

6. Quickly respond to customer requests after negotiation

The first negotiations and the period of the transaction is similar to the “candy-bouquet” period in the courtship of the girl. Relations are positive, both parties are enthusiastic and have hopes for a successful project.

During this period, it is necessary to maximize the trust and consolidate the relationship. This can be achieved by a quick response to customer requests and impeccable fulfillment of their obligations.

A very useful trick is to send a brief meeting report to the client immediately after the negotiations, or “contact report”, in which the main agreements and key issues are recorded in writing.

Well, in conclusion , I would like to wish all colleagues to develop their own, individual style of negotiations, which will bring abundant seedlings in the form of new contracts.