Backdoor selling, means business negotiations without negotiations

Business Negotiation is a complex process – for both the seller and the buyer. It is no wonder that both parties use a variety of techniques aimed at securing their own position. One of the most popular is “back door selling”, which sometimes enters the borderline of business ethics.

High-level managers are increasingly aware of the risks of back door selling. And it’s worth noting that this strategy may have a negative impact on both the financial results and the implementation of the most important objectives of the company – including building a positive customer experience.

What is “back door selling”?

Sales through the back door are all activities undertaken by sellers aimed at obtaining critical information that allows them to gain a negotiating advantage and increase the chance of getting a business. The effect of these activities may be to reduce the role of the purchasing department in the business negotiation process.

Business negotiations without purchasing department?

Why do sellers tend to minimize the role of the purchasing department? An answer to this question is very simple. Reaching decision-makers and at the same time not responsible for the purchasing strategy, on the one hand, significantly increases the chance of selling the product, and on the other hand, it allows maintaining high margins.

“The most effective” sellers strive to build and develop relationships with the direct users of their solutions, people whose SATISFACTION has an impact on the decision to choose a supplier. They are so-called “Stakehoes” or “stakeholders” of the purchasing department. Thanks to this, they can control the whole negotiation process and influence decisions made by persons outside the formal negotiating team.

Critical information helpful in business negotiations

Contact with employees or departmental managers is also helpful in building a negotiation strategy. It allows to obtain a lot of critical information that strengthens the position of the supplier.

Experienced and well-trained salespers easily acquire the necessary information in conversations with often unconscious employees or managers. They use natural communication processes for this. They ask seemingly irrelevant questions that allow them to increase their own influence and significantly weaken the buyer’s negotiating team.