The customer is fixated at a 90 day payment term – how do we bring them down to a more acceptable stance?

In a recent workshop with sales leaders, this question emerged.

Despite trying various tactics, the sales team found themselves hitting a wall.

Here’s what I told them to do in their next negotiation.

Rather than a confrontational stance, the idea was to open up a dialogue and ask:

“How often do employees in your organization get paid?”

The answer—is an obvious “once a month.”

The smart maneuver is to draw a parallel between employee payments and supplier payments.

Why was it acceptable to pay employees monthly but not extend the same experience to suppliers?

It was a thought-provoking question that challenged the status quo.

End result? This shift in perspective sparked a change in the customer’s mindset.

A negotiation that seemed stuck at ninety days gradually moved to forty-five days – a significant win considering the initial deadlock.

A closed door is not always an obstacle but rather an opportunity in disguise.

Analogies, in particular, can serve as powerful tools to encourage people to think differently.

Sometimes, a change in perspective is all it takes to transform a challenge into an opportunity.

*** 

If this was helpful,

1.Subscribe to the CxO Sales Playbook

Every week, I share 1 actionable tip to get your sales teams to over deliver and quickly move deals over the line even in a slow economy.

2.Take the Deal Review Quiz

Drawing from our work with multiple Fortune 500 clients, It’ll give you the exact probability of winning your deal & highlight specific areas of risk and concern – in under 90 seconds.

3.Review Our Clients & Case Studies

We’ve coached the sales teams of Fortune 500 & 100 companies such as Microsoft, SAP and Google.

Next Step 

Subscribe to the CXO Sales Playbook Newsletter.

Every Friday morning, I’ll email you 1 actionable tip to get your sales teams to overdeliver. (other benefits include a big bonus and company-wide recognition :).