14 lessons · evergreen
Negotiation & Pricing
MEDDIC qualification, price anchoring, the silent close, Voss splitting the difference, walk-away power, BATNA, and value-trade trades. Master the money conversation.
MEDDIC: qualify like a CFO, close like a closer
Most reps lose deals at the qualification stage and don't know it. MEDDIC is the audit.
Anchor high: the first number wins
The first price mentioned warps every negotiation that follows. Make sure it's yours.
The silent close: ask, then shut up
After you ask for the business, the next person to speak loses. Train the silence.
Voss: never split the difference
Meeting in the middle is a lazy loss. Real negotiators trade — they don't split.
Walk-away power: the deal you'll lose is the leverage you have
If you can't walk, you can't negotiate. You're just begging with extra steps.
BATNA: know your alternative before you sit down
Your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement is the floor under every yes.
Isolate the price objection before you negotiate it
Don't discount until you know price is the ONLY thing standing between you and a yes.
Value stacking: make the price feel small before you say it
Anyone can quote a number. Pros build the mountain of value the number sits on top of.
The decoy effect: engineer the choice they make
Add a third option that nobody picks — and watch your target option's selection rate jump 40%.
The Ackerman model: a four-move price negotiation system
Chris Voss's bargaining recipe — drop, drop, drop, odd number, non-cash sweetener. It works on cars, contracts, and CFOs.
MEDDIC: the qualification framework that protects negotiation power
You can't negotiate a deal you haven't qualified. MEDDIC tells you exactly what's missing before you reach the table.
Walk-away power: the only real source of leverage
You don't have leverage from clever questions or polished decks. You have leverage when you can credibly walk away.
Isolate price: 'aside from cost…'
Stop negotiating five things at once. Pull price out of the pile and deal with it alone.
Value stacking before the price reveal
Price feels small only after value feels heavy. Stack first, reveal second.