Imagine I offer to sell you a horse for $10,000. You offer me $7,000 and I quickly say, “Deal!”

You’re thinking, “Wow, if he knocked $3,000 off with no questions, he must have been gouging me.” And “I wonder how much less I could have bought the horse for”?

I questioned a radio salesperson about the pricing of a proposal he was about to make last week, and he said he “Built in enough to negotiate.” Upon further questioning, I discovered he was prepared to lower the price, just to get the deal, without the buyer having to give something in return.

Are you a horse trader or a professional? Do you expect to dicker with professionals like your lawyer or your accountant, or do you trust and accept their fees at face value?

A radio marketing professional will never falsely inflate their proposal in order to be able to “deal.”

ENS Media’s training helps media executives understand what we call ‘Negotiation 101’… never give one without getting one.

If you know you are about to present to a buyer who expects to ‘negotiate’, you need to plan accordingly. You need to build things into your proposal that you can give up without hurting the campaign, in return for lowering the price.

Perhaps you broaden the rotation in return for a lower investment, ask for payment up front, or ask for a longer commitment in return for a lower spot rate, but NEVER, just drop your rate just to get the deal without asking for a concession from the buyer in return.

To offer concessions without getting concessions in return will quickly damage your brand as a professional and rebrand you as a horse trader.