Big Iron

BIG IRON:

Big deals are different. They require more than good negotiating tactics. They require a strategy.

Negotiating a multimillion-dollar equipment purchase, a hospital contract, or an enterprise software agreement is fundamentally different from negotiating a simple transaction.

The difference isn't necessarily the people, the product, or even the amount of money involved. It's the number of items in play.

When price, financing, delivery, warranty, service, payment terms, and other considerations must be negotiated simultaneously, even experienced salespeople can find themselves making unnecessary concessions, reacting to customer demands, and giving away more than they should.

In Big Iron, veteran negotiation consultant and author Steve Reilly introduces a practical, proven methodology developed through decades of training, coaching, and participating in complex commercial negotiations.

Drawing on real-world experiences with organizations including Caterpillar, UnitedHealthcare, and other major corporations, Reilly explains how to approach negotiations systematically rather than relying on isolated tactics or clever responses.

You'll learn how to:

• Prepare for complex negotiations involving multiple competing interests.

• Establish and defend your opening position.

• Recognize when to hold your ground and when to move.

• Trade concessions rather than simply give them away.

• Manage customer demands without unnecessarily sacrificing value.

• Recognize and respond to best-and-final offers.

• Protect the economics of the deal while maintaining productive customer relationships.

At the heart of the book is a three-phase methodology: First Offers, Trading Concessions, and Best and Final. Each phase has a clear strategic objective, practical tactics, and a playbook for navigating the challenges salespeople encounter in real negotiations.

Written for salespeople and sales managers responsible for complex, high-value agreements, Big Iron provides a practical system for knowing where you are in a negotiation, what you're trying to accomplish, and what to do next.

You don't need more tactics. You need a strategy.