Bringing a knife to a gunfight
Or hoping you find a knife along the way
Ideal situation: going straight to the top and pitching your services to the CEO of your target client.
The downside: when it comes to negotiating, you’re up against someone who has decades of experience in pushing suppliers down on price.
Apply this situation across your business and you realise you’re asking every one of your consultants to negotiate against experts.
Most recruitment agencies don’t send their consultants into battle with much more than a “Go get ‘em, tiger” and a not-so-reassuring pat on the back.
And, as you’ve probably experienced, there’s only one winner.
But… imagine you could arm your consultants with some real firepower when it comes to negotiations.
Not only would they agree higher rates with their clients, and be getting paid more for the work they do. They would also be seen by clients as more as a partner and less as a subservient supplier who slashes their fees.
Your consultants (and you, if you’re negotiating with clients) would also feel more confident in their value, and even their self-worth. Combine that with the extra bonus in their pockets and you’ve got a happy team.
The question is, where do you get the firepower to go up against the experienced CEOs you want to be pitching to.
The answer is to build a clear, logical framework that helps you define your value and justify your fee. And when you are asked to move on price, you have a path to follow - with confidence - that helps you improve your relationship with your client.
If you want to be more confident when negotiating with high-level clients, simply reply to this email and I will talk you through my initial consultation - your first step on the path to better pricing.
Jon
P.S. It’s often the case that newer consultants negotiate less than their more experienced colleagues. This is partly because they haven’t been ground down by years - sometimes decades - of tough negotiations with high-level clients.
If you can give your consultants the tools to survive these experiences, and come out of them more confident in their value, then you’ll find that your most experienced consultants can get back to charging fees that reflect their true worth.
If you want to be more confident when negotiating with high-level clients, simply reply to this email and I will talk you through my initial consultation - your first step on the path to better pricing.