10 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.