Frame every negotiation around four core business drivers. Offer discounts not as concessions, but as payments for the customer giving you something valuable: more volume, faster cash payments, a longer contract commitment, or a predictable closing date. This shifts the conversation from haggling to a structured, collaborative process.

Offering discounts, especially at quarter-end, trains buyers to delay purchasing in anticipation of better terms. Instead, frame discounts as a reward for committing to a specific timeline, which provides your business with valuable forecasting accuracy and gives the customer skin in the game.

Instead of offering a fake, expiring discount to create urgency, frame it as a payment for predictability. Tell the prospect you will pay them a discount in exchange for mutually aligning on a specific close date, which helps you forecast accurately. This turns a sales tactic into a valuable business exchange.

If a customer asks to push a signed deal past an agreed-upon deadline, don't say yes or no. Saying "I don't know if we can hold the price" creates productive uncertainty. This forces them to weigh the risk of losing their discount against the inconvenience of finding a way to sign on time, often leading them to solve the problem themselves.

In recurring business relationships, winning every last penny is a short-sighted victory. Intentionally allowing the other party to feel they received good value builds goodwill and a positive reputation, leading to better and more frequent opportunities in the future. It inoculates you against being price-gouged upfront.

Proposing an outcome-based pricing model next to a high fixed-fee option forces the negotiation to focus on value, not cost. Even if the customer chooses the fixed fee, they're anchored on a much higher number and are less likely to negotiate it down significantly.

When negotiating a price increase, if the customer accepts immediately without pushback, it’s a strong signal you've significantly underpriced your product. Buildots' founder prepared for a negotiation over a 4x price increase, but the client agreed instantly, revealing the product's true value.

The strategy of setting an artificially high price to negotiate down is dangerous in an era of high transparency. When customers inevitably discover they paid more than peers, it destroys trust and reputation. Maintain a consistent price, offering flexibility only through standardized commercial levers.

Offering an unprompted discount is described as the "most pathetic thing in sales." It immediately transforms you from a trusted advisor into a transactional salesperson, erodes all built-up trust, and signals that your initial price was inflated.