Have you ever felt control slipping away halfway through a negotiation? What started as a strong opportunity suddenly turns into price pressure, delayed decisions, or shifting demands.
That loss of control is not accidental. It is leverage at work.
Leverage is the force that determines who leads the conversation and who reacts. Skilled negotiators do not rely on instinct or charisma. They rely on disciplined business negotiation skills that allow them to intentionally shape every conversation.
The Sandler approach breaks leverage into eight distinct levers you can build, strengthen, and apply to negotiate with confidence.
1. Time
Time pressure creates movement. The advantage belongs to the person who understands whose timeline matters most.
When the buyer has urgency, time becomes your leverage. When you remain patient and clarify their deadlines, pressure shifts off you and onto them. Strong negotiators control pace deliberately rather than reacting emotionally.
Example:
You know a buyer’s fiscal year is ending and unused budget will disappear. You clarify that closing now guarantees delivery before year end. If not, timelines reset.
Their deadline works in your favor.
2. Belief
Buyers buy certainty before they buy solutions.
A skilled negotiator believes deeply in the value they deliver. That belief anchors the conversation around outcomes rather than price. When confidence wavers, discounting fills the gap.
Confidence is not arrogance. It is clarity about impact.
3. Need
Leverage increases when your solution is essential, not optional.
Your job is to uncover what the buyer truly needs and how your solution uniquely solves that problem. When there is no clear substitute, negotiations become simpler and stronger.
Need creates urgency without pressure.
4. Emotion
People make decisions emotionally and justify them logically.
Strong business negotiation skills include the ability to connect with what matters beneath the surface. Security, certainty, recognition, and peace of mind often outweigh features and pricing.
Example:
A homeowner hesitates on a security system. Instead of listing specifications, the conversation shifts to peace of mind and family safety.
That emotional clarity drives commitment.
5. Relationship
Trust is leverage.
When buyers trust you, negotiations become collaborative instead of adversarial. Established relationships protect margins, reduce friction, and soften tough demands.
Price pressure decreases when credibility is already in place.
6. Information
Information is one of the most powerful negotiation levers.
The more you know about budgets, decision makers, timelines, and pain points, the stronger your position becomes. The more the buyer knows about your urgency or constraints, the weaker yours becomes.
Effective negotiation training will equip sales reps to ask better questions, listen carefully, and resist the urge to overshare.
Example:
You discover a prospect is frustrated with their current vendor’s reliability. You highlight your delivery record and ask questions that confirm their pain points without revealing internal pressure.
Your information reshapes the conversation.
7. Alternatives
The ability to walk away is real power.
When you have alternatives or the discipline to say no, you negotiate from strength rather than desperation. The party with fewer options always feels more pressure.
Example:
A buyer demands a significant price reduction. You respond calmly. You would welcome the partnership, but if it does not align with their budget, you understand. Other clients are ready for the next available capacity.
Confidence signals strength.
8. Norms
Standards influence perception.
Industry benchmarks, company policies, and best practices help position your offer as fair and reasonable. When expectations are clearly framed, pushing back becomes far more difficult.
Norms remove emotion and anchor the negotiation in logic.
Bringing It All Together
Leverage is not fixed. It shifts throughout every conversation.
That is why negotiation mastery requires preparation, awareness, and ongoing negotiation training. Before entering any deal, ask yourself:
Where is my leverage strongest?
Where is it weakest?
What can I do now to strengthen it?
Negotiation is not about tricks or pressure. It is about intentionally shaping the playing field with confidence and control.
When you master these eight levers, you stop reacting to buyer demands and start leading conversations that produce better outcomes.
At Summit Performance, we help sales professionals develop the business negotiation skills required to lead with clarity, confidence, and consistency.