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While I firmly believe that “everything in life is negotiable”, I would have to admit that there are some situations that are just plain “no win.” To illustrate this point, let me describe a situation that arises in my home periodically, and one that I certainly do not look forward to or enjoy. It just doesn’t seem to follow any rules, or any of the lessons I’ve learned at the negotiating table. In fact, the situation is one, where I hate to admit it, but I am still at a loss to negotiate successfully. This is a negotiation that I refer to as “damned if you do; damned if you don’t!”

I’ve known my wife for almost forty years, and every time she tells me that she is going to a new hair stylist or that she is going to try a new hair style, I feel like running away from home. It is the one situation that I have determined has no correct answer and is non-negotiable.

Here’s what happens. My wife goes out and gets a new hairstyle. She cannot wait to return home and ask me the dreaded question, “Honey, how do you like my new hairdo?”

Think about it for a minute. There is no correct answer to that question. You may or may not take the time to look up from the sports channel you are watching on TV and say something like, “Wow, I really like that” or “You look terrific!” The response you’ll probably get will be something like, “What was wrong with my old hairstyle?” Maybe you’ll even get speech number 23 which goes something like, “Well, if my old hairstyle was so bad, why didn’t you say something before?”

On the other hand, if you take a minute to focus on the new hairstyle before committing to a well thought out compliment, it’s likely to be interpreted as a loss for words. And, that translates to “You really hate it don’t you?”

In my mind, the question, “Honey, how do you like my new hairdo?” is a “no win” negotiation for men. Fortunately for me, it has become somewhat of a joke in our household. Now when my wife goes out to get her hair done, I usually just run in the closet and hide just before she arrives home.

Lesson learned: While everything in life may be negotiable, there are some “no win” situations that you need to recognize before you get in too deep.

How do you catch someone’s attention?

There are a lot of ways but they are all about either doing something unexpected or really hitting the sweet spot of the customer. I want to start with looking at different aspects of how to start a meeting and getting the customer to listen to you and in the end of this article go through the “Hail Mary Pass” where we try to get the customer to listen to us with only one argument.

The start of the meeting really sets the tone for the whole discussion

If you can catch the attention of the customer, they will listen and respond. If you don’t all you will be doing is fighting to get the attention until you at last have to give up or are lucky enough to find a sweet spot and get a chance.

To get the customers attention, do something that your competitors aren’t

Most salesmen will come to the meeting nicely dressed in a suit and have a briefcase. They will take out some brochures and than sit down and start talking about their product. If they are tele-salesmen they will start by introducing themselves “Hello, my name is X and I’m calling from company Y” and then just start talking about their product with no regard to the customer.

What happens when you call a customer and say “Hello, my name is X” is that the customer will start thinking “hmm, who is this? Do I know this person?” and completely miss the company name, making them very confused when you continue on the sales pitch.

If you come into someone’s office and just start talking about yourself all they want to do is throw you out!

One way to start a sales call is by instead starting “Hello, I’m calling from Y, my name is X”. It is a easy way of at least sounding a bit different.

Another fun trick is by coming into a meeting with all your questions typed up on a piece of paper and giving it to the customer saying “This is what I want to ask you today. We will go through these questions and than I’ll see if my product will be able to help you.”

I promise you that this technique will catch their attention!

Thinking outside of the box is extremely important in these situations

Look at what your doing today and than think of the most fun and outrageous presentations. See if you can come up with 5 different techniques. Then try them out! Try each one 10 times and the one that works the best, do it!

Finally it is you that knows your business best and I won’t try to make you do something that might or might now work in your business category. Try out different things and go with what works.

The Hail Mary Pass

Often in sales you’ll meet a customer that just won’t listen. You had a great presentation. You ask them some questions, tell them about your product and prove that it will really help them. But all you say just goes in through one ear and out the other.

There is one technique I love to use in these situations, it actually has a 32% success rate once you have learned it.

When trying to get a impossible customer to buy your product and finally give up. Right before you leave, Stop.

Tell them you have one final offer and just do something completely out of the ordinary. Give them 50% off or give them a 10 year guarantee. Basically give them the very best deal you are ever aloud to give them. Motivate it with that you are doing this because you want them to try your product because you are so confident that if they do, they will never stop buying your products.

If done well you will very often hit a sweet spot and if nothing else you will get their attention and get a new chance to prove your point.

If nothing else, you have nothing to loose. You were leaving anyway and now you know that you have done everything possible to get that sale.

Good luck to you!