Increase Sales

Negotiation techniques 2026: methods that work in B2B sales

Filip Duszczak

CEO InStream Group

Reading time: 18 minutes
November 15 2026

Updated: 15 November 2026 · based on negotiation exercises in PipeChamp and the SalesBooster programme

Negotiation techniques are specific, repeatable moves in a conversation: how you open, give concessions, ask questions and respond to pressure. You use them to carry out the negotiation strategy you set before the conversation. The strategy says what you want to achieve and where your limit is, while the technique says how to do it at a given moment.

1,700+ companies supported in sales
250+ CRM implementations
113+ sales process templates in PipeChamp

Filip DuszczakCEO InStream Group, 17 years in B2B sales

See 17 techniques with pros and cons Book a demo

In short

Techniques only work when there is a strategy behind them: a goal, a concession limit and an alternative (BATNA).
We describe 17 techniques in three groups: value-building, hard (use with care) and buyer tactics you need to recognise.
Every technique comes with an example phrase, pros and cons.
The right technique depends on your industry, the deal value and whether the relationship should last for years.
Whether a technique is fair depends on intent: does the client leave the conversation fully informed and free to choose?
The fastest way to learn techniques is practice with an AI virtual client on your own sales process.

Trusted by 1,700 companies from Poland and around the world

Foundation

Types of negotiation strategy: the foundation for techniques

Before you choose a technique, choose a strategy. The same technique fits one strategy and hurts in another.

win-win
Collaboration
When in B2B
Long relationships, multi-year contracts, account growth.
Techniques that fit
- Bundling variables
- Options to choose from
- Calibrated questions
- Concession for concession
win-lose
Competition
When in B2B
One-off deals and tenders.
Techniques that fit
- Anchoring
- Decreasing concessions
- BATNA
- Time pressure
·
Compromise
When in B2B
Similar power on both sides and little time.
Techniques that fit
- Concession for concession
- Decreasing concessions
lose-win
Accommodation
When in B2B
A deliberate investment in a strategic client.
Techniques that fit
- A concession with a condition (reference, case study, longer contract)
·
Avoidance
When in B2B
Terms below your BATNA.
Techniques that fit
- BATNA
- Withdrawing the offer

Strategy, method and technique: the difference

01
Strategy
What you want to achieve and where your limit is.
Example: collaboration with a minimum price and a list of trade-offs instead of a discount.
02
Method
How you run the whole negotiation.
Example: the Harvard method, interest-based negotiation.
03
Technique
A single move in the conversation.
Example: anchoring, silence, a calibrated question.

A full overview of strategies, BATNA and ZOPA is in our article on negotiation training: virtual client and negotiation strategy.

Strategy

Why strategy matters more than technique

A salesperson who knows 30 techniques but not their own limit still ends the conversation with a discount. A technique is a tool, and the strategy says when to use it.

Technique without strategy ends in a discount
Without a goal and a minimum price, every bit of buyer pressure looks like a reason to concede. The technique only gets you to the discount faster.
Strategy tells you when to walk away
When you know your BATNA, you know which terms are worse than no deal. Saying no becomes a decision, not a failure.
A shared strategy keeps prices consistent
A team with one concession policy gives similar terms to similar clients. Clients stop playing salespeople against each other.

How much profit a discount takes at different margins is shown in the table on the impact of negotiation on sales results.

Learning techniques

Classroom training or virtual client: how to learn negotiation techniques

You cannot learn techniques from slides. You have to repeat them in conversation until they work under pressure. Here are three ways to learn:

Lecture and case study

Number of repetitionsLow
Scenario from your processRarely
FeedbackGeneral
Manager’s timeLow
Progress trackingNone

Role-play with a trainer

Number of repetitionsA few per session
Scenario from your processYes, if the trainer prepares it
FeedbackFrom the trainer after the conversation
Manager’s timeHigh
Progress trackingTrainer’s assessment

Fastest progress

AI virtual client (PipeChamp)

Number of repetitionsUnlimited
Scenario from your processYes, the “Negotiation” stage of your process
FeedbackAI trainer after every conversation, with flashcards
Manager’s timeLow
Progress trackingScore on the competence card

The best results come from combining both: the trainer demonstrates the technique and runs role-plays, and salespeople repeat it with the virtual client until it works. More on this approach: virtual sales process training.

Want to see a conversation with an AI virtual client?

Book a demo

Cheat sheet

The most popular negotiation techniques: 17 methods with pros and cons

Each technique has a one-sentence definition, an example phrase you can use with a client, and its pros and cons in B2B sales.

Choose a technique from the list. Each one has an example phrase, when to use it, the risk, and its pros and cons.

Value-building techniques: use them

Technique 1 of 17 · Value-building techniques

1. First offer with a rationale

You open with your own proposal and immediately explain what the price is based on.

We propose €11,000, because the price includes implementation and three months of support.

When to use: When you know the market and the value of your offer
Risk: An offer without a rationale damages trust

Pros

You set the reference point for the whole conversation.

The buyer gets an argument to defend the price internally.

Cons

Requires good market knowledge.

An offer that is too high without a rationale damages trust.

Technique 2 of 17 · Value-building techniques

2. Anchoring (high opening)

The first number in the conversation shifts how all later numbers are judged.

Projects of this scale usually fall between €14,000 and €16,000.

When to use: At the opening, to leave room for concessions
Risk: An extreme anchor ends the conversation

Pros

Leaves room for concessions.

Works even on experienced buyers.

Cons

An extreme anchor ends the conversation.

Does not fit tenders with a public price list.

Technique 3 of 17 · Value-building techniques

3. Concession for concession

You trade every concession for something: timing, volume, contract length or a reference.

I can extend the payment terms if we sign a 12-month contract.

When to use: Whenever the buyer asks for a discount
Risk: Without a list of trade-offs it is hard to offer anything

Pros

Protects your margin.

Teaches the buyer that nothing is free.

Cons

Requires a list of trade-offs before the conversation.

Makes hard negotiations longer.

Technique 4 of 17 · Value-building techniques

4. Decreasing concessions

Each concession is smaller than the previous one.

The first adjustment is 5%, the next one 2%. We cannot go further.

When to use: When you are close to your limit
Risk: Used mechanically it looks like a game

Pros

Signals that you are approaching your limit.

Limits further demands.

Cons

Requires a plan of steps before the conversation.

Used mechanically it looks like a game.

Technique 5 of 17 · Value-building techniques

5. Bundling variables

You negotiate several elements at once: price, timing, scope and payment terms.

Let’s keep the price and agree what we change in scope and schedule to fit your budget.

When to use: In contracts with many terms
Risk: The whole package is harder to calculate

Pros

Moves the conversation from price to value.

Makes a win-win outcome easier.

Cons

The package is harder to calculate.

You need to know who approves the package on the client side.

Technique 6 of 17 · Value-building techniques

6. Options to choose from

Instead of one price you offer two or three versions.

We have a basic, standard and full package. Which one fits your plan best?

When to use: When the buyer compares offers
Risk: Too many options paralyse the decision

Pros

The conversation is about which option, not whether to buy.

The client matches the scope to the budget.

Cons

Too many options paralyse the decision.

Differences between options must be clear.

Technique 7 of 17 · Value-building techniques

7. Calibrated questions

You ask “how” and “what” questions that hand the problem back to the other side.

How are we supposed to deliver this scope on this budget?

When to use: When you hear an unrealistic demand
Risk: Asked too early they sound evasive

Pros

You uncover the buyer’s real constraints.

You do not have to say “no”.

Cons

Requires practice with tone of voice.

Asked too early they sound evasive.

Technique 8 of 17 · Value-building techniques

8. Labelling emotions

You name out loud what you hear in the buyer’s words.

It sounds like you are worried about implementation during peak season.

When to use: When the conversation gets tense
Risk: A wrong label irritates

Pros

Lowers tension in the conversation.

The buyer clarifies the concern on their own.

Cons

A wrong label irritates.

Can come across as patronising.

Technique 9 of 17 · Value-building techniques

9. Mirroring

You repeat the last two or three words of the other person as a question.

Too expensive compared with your current supplier?

When to use: When you want the other side to elaborate
Risk: Overused, it sounds mechanical

Pros

Encourages the other person to elaborate.

Builds rapport without extra arguments.

Cons

Overused, it sounds mechanical.

Does not work by email.

Technique 10 of 17 · Value-building techniques

10. Silence

After making an offer or hearing a demand, you wait for the other side to respond.

That is our proposal. (pause)

When to use: After your offer and after the buyer’s demand
Risk: Online it can look like a connection problem

Pros

The other side often softens its position on its own.

It costs nothing.

Cons

Hard for many salespeople.

Online it can look like a connection problem.

Technique 11 of 17 · Value-building techniques

11. BATNA as leverage

You calmly show that you have an alternative if no agreement is reached.

If we cannot find common terms, we have another project in that time slot.

When to use: When terms approach your limit
Risk: A bluff about alternatives is easy to check

Pros

Gives you strength without aggression.

Helps you turn down bad terms.

Cons

A bluff about alternatives is easy to check.

Overemphasised, it sounds like a threat.

Hard techniques: use with care

Technique 12 of 17 · Hard techniques

12. Time pressure

An offer or a condition is valid until a specific date.

We can reserve this implementation slot until Friday.

When to use: When the deadline is real
Risk: A fake deadline destroys credibility

Pros

Speeds up the decision.

Organises the schedule on both sides.

Cons

A fake deadline destroys credibility.

The buyer can easily check it.

Technique 13 of 17 · Hard techniques

13. Withdrawing the offer

When the buyer stalls and keeps adding demands, you withdraw part of the terms.

With further scope changes we can no longer keep the free training.

When to use: When the buyer stalls and adds demands
Risk: It can end the talks

Pros

Stops the stream of new demands.

Clearly shows your limit.

Cons

Risks ending the talks.

Does not fit long relationships.

Technique 14 of 17 · Hard techniques

14. Splitting the difference

Both sides split the gap between their offers in half.

Let’s meet halfway.

When to use: At the very end, when the gap is small
Risk: It rewards the other side’s extreme anchor

Pros

Ends the conversation quickly.

Gives both sides a sense of fairness.

Cons

Rewards whoever opened with an extreme anchor.

It is the shortest route to a discount.

Buyer tactics: recognise and respond

Technique 15 of 17 · Buyer tactics

15. Salami

The buyer asks for small concessions one by one until together they eat your margin.

Response: Let’s collect all your expectations before I answer each of them.

When it appears: When small requests follow agreement
Risk: Small concessions add up and eat the margin

How to recognise it

After agreeing on price, more “small” requests keep coming.

How to respond

Collect the list of demands, price them together and trade every concession for something.

Technique 16 of 17 · Buyer tactics

16. Dead fish

The buyer makes an absurd demand and then “generously” drops it in exchange for your concession.

Response: I understand that demand is off the table. Let’s go back to what we agreed.

When it appears: When an absurd demand appears
Risk: Dropping it looks like a concession

How to recognise it

The demand is unrealistic and the buyer drops it quickly.

How to respond

Do not treat dropping the demand as a concession you have to pay for.

Technique 17 of 17 · Buyer tactics

17. Good cop, bad cop and the absent authority

The other side plays two roles, or the buyer hides behind a board decision.

Response: Who besides you makes the decision? Let’s invite that person to the next meeting.

When it appears: When the other side plays two roles
Risk: You give concessions to the “nice” person

How to recognise it

One person pushes and the other “helps”. Or every agreement needs “the boss’s approval”.

How to respond

Treat both roles as one party and establish at the start who decides.

Anchoring, time pressure and “final price” from the defensive side are covered in our article on negotiation methods and strategies.

Want to practise these techniques on your company’s sales process?

Book a demo

The InStream Group method

The InStream Group method: practice on a virtual process and a negotiation strategy

We practise techniques on your company’s sales process in PipeChamp, not on textbook examples. This way salespeople train exactly the conversations they have with clients.

Step 1
Process and negotiation stage
Your company’s sales process in PipeChamp with a separate “Negotiation” stage.
Step 2
Negotiation strategy
A strategy sheet for the stage: goal, limits, concessions and trade-offs.
Step 3
Choosing techniques
4–6 techniques matched to your industry and your clients.
Step 4
Sparring with a virtual client
Conversations with an AI client, AI trainer flashcards and a score on the competence card.

PipeChamp: phone conversation with a virtual client and conversation flashcards from the AI trainer — PipeChamp: conversation with a virtual client and flashcards from the AI trainer.

PipeChamp: AI profile of a salesperson with communication style assessment and areas to improve.

Video

Video: what practice in PipeChamp looks like

See in three minutes how a salesperson practises conversations on a virtual sales process: with a virtual client, an AI trainer and a competence card that shows progress.

Virtual sales process training

SalesBooster

Negotiation techniques practised on your company’s process

In SalesBooster your team practises techniques with a virtual client in PipeChamp, and we write the negotiation strategy into the sales process and the CRM.

A dedicated trainer-consultant for 4 months
Negotiation strategy and concession policy for your offer
PipeChamp with an AI virtual client
CRM implemented and results measured

€2,000net per month · 4-month programme for sales teams · Start and Mini versions quoted individuallyDiscover SalesBooster See pricing

Clients and their stories

Our clients' success and satisfaction matter most to us. Join more than 1,700 companies worldwide for which we have generated leads.

Case study
Emitel × InStream
Cold Email campaign: boosting in-building mobile network coverage.
105 hot leads350% of the guarantee delivered
Client testimonial
Mr Staff Support
Recruitment of drivers and workers from Asia. Magdalena talks about working with InStream.
Case study
Studio201 × InStream
Cold Email campaign for a software house: apps and AI implementations.
119 hot leads3 signed contracts
Client testimonial
Packon
Cardboard packaging manufacturer. Konrad Wijata talks about working with InStream.
Case study
Personal System × InStream
Cold Email campaign for a permanent and temporary staffing agency.
40 hot leads in 3 months17,000+ messages
Client testimonial
Proexwork
Staffing agency. Maciej Krutul talks about working with InStream.
Case study
StethoMe × InStream
LinkedIn: the CEO's personal brand and US market outreach in 4 months.
607 invitations13.5% acceptance rate
Case study
Iguana Group × InStream
Cold Email campaign to schools: sports equipment.
43 hot leads419 replies
Client testimonial
HSK Consulting
Employee hiring services. Jarosław Multan talks about working with InStream.
Client testimonial
MAAG Gear
LinkedIn campaign, 2 years of working together. Krzysztof Orłowski talks about working with InStream.

Client stories

See how we help companies like yours

Testimonials, case studies and campaign results from our clients in Poland and around the world.

See client stories

Competences

TOP traits of a good negotiator

Each of these traits can be practised. For each one we give a single behaviour to start with.

Preparation
Before the conversation, writes down the goal, minimum price, BATNA and three alternatives to a discount.
Patience
After making an offer, holds the silence and waits for an answer.
Curiosity
Asks about the client’s interests before defending the price.
Emotional control
Responds to pressure with a question, not a concession.
Assertiveness
Says “no” to terms below the limit and proposes another way.
Knowing the numbers
Knows what each concession costs and how much margin a discount takes.
Flexibility
Looks for trade-offs in scope, timing and payment terms.
Integrity
Keeps agreements and records them in the CRM right after the conversation.

Reading

TOP books on negotiation

Six books that develop your negotiation technique. Classics such as “Getting to Yes” are covered in our article on negotiation training.

Difficult counterparts
Getting Past No
William Ury. How to handle a conversation when the other side attacks, stonewalls or plays dirty tricks.
Preparation
Bargaining for Advantage
G. Richard Shell. Six foundations of effective negotiation and a test of your own negotiation style.
Analysis
Negotiation Genius
Deepak Malhotra, Max H. Bazerman. Research on cognitive biases in negotiation and how to use it.
The client’s decision
Start with No
Jim Camp. Why the right to say no gives both sides peace of mind and how to build the conversation around decisions.
Improvisation
The Art of Negotiation
Michael Wheeler. Negotiation as learning during the conversation, not acting out a script.
Questions
Ask for More
Alexandra Carter. Ten questions that help uncover both sides’ interests before making an offer.

Techniques that work

BATNA
Bundling schedules and advance payments
Recognising salami in contract amendments

What to avoid

High anchors in public tenders.

Want to match techniques to your industry and offer?

Book a demo

Ethics

Technique or intent: when a technique becomes manipulation

A technique is neither fair nor manipulative in itself. What matters is the intent and whether the client leaves the conversation fully informed and free to choose. Test yourself with three questions:

Would you tell the client openly what you are doing?
If a technique only works when the client does not know about it, you are close to manipulation.
Does the client have full information?
An invented competing offer or a fake deadline takes away the client’s real choice.
Do you want to work with them in a year?
In B2B the relationship is worth more than winning a single conversation.

Anchoring
Fair useA high offer justified by value and scope.
Manipulative useAn invented list price you then “discount” from.
Time pressure
Fair useA real deadline, for example the availability of the implementation team.
Manipulative useA made-up deadline you move after every refusal.
BATNA
Fair useA real alternative you mention calmly.
Manipulative useA competing offer that does not exist.
Silence
Fair useTime to think after you make an offer.
Manipulative useDragging out silence to embarrass the other person.
Labelling
Fair useNaming a concern in order to resolve it.
Manipulative usePlaying on emotions to rush the signature.

Reading

Books on sales techniques that help in negotiation

Good negotiation starts earlier, in the conversation about needs. These books teach the kind of selling that leaves less to negotiate.

Questions
SPIN Selling
Neil Rackham. Situation, problem, implication and need-payoff questions that build value before the price conversation.
Insight for the client
The Challenger Sale
Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson. The salesperson who teaches the client and leads the conversation.
Diagnosis
Gap Selling
Keenan. Selling based on the gap between the client’s current and desired state.
System
You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar
David Sandler. The Sandler method and an up-front contract at the start of every conversation.
Influence
To Sell Is Human
Daniel H. Pink. Why moving others is a skill everyone needs, not only salespeople.
Process
Predictable Revenue
Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler. How to split roles in a sales team so the pipeline becomes predictable.

Want to build these skills in your team? See our sales training for salespeople.

Demo

Negotiation training demo at InStream

In the demo we will show you live what negotiation technique training on a virtual sales process looks like.

A sales process with a “Negotiation” stage in PipeChamp
A conversation with an AI virtual client
AI trainer flashcards and the salesperson’s competence card
A training plan for your team

Live demoin PipeChamp, with your scenarioBook a demo Discover SalesBooster

Invest in your sales team

Fill in the form. We'll get back to you within 10 minutes.

Frequently asked questions about negotiation techniques

What are negotiation techniques?

What are the most popular negotiation techniques?

The most widely used techniques are anchoring, a first offer with a rationale, concession for concession, bundling variables, calibrated questions, silence and BATNA. Buyers often use salami, the dead fish and good cop, bad cop.

What is the difference between a negotiation technique and a strategy?

A strategy defines the goal, the concession limit and the alternative if no agreement is reached. A technique is a single move in the conversation that carries out the strategy, for example anchoring or silence.

What is the dead fish technique?

One side makes an absurd demand and then drops it in exchange for a concession from the other side. The best response is not to treat dropping an unrealistic demand as a concession.

What is the salami technique?

The buyer asks for small concessions one by one until together they take a large part of the margin. The response is to collect all demands before deciding and to price them together.

Are negotiation techniques manipulation?

Not by definition. Whether a technique is fair depends on intent: does the client leave the conversation fully informed and free to choose. Invented deadlines and non-existent competing offers are manipulation.

How many negotiation techniques should you know?

A few techniques practised well for your own industry are enough, usually four to six, plus the ability to recognise the most common buyer tactics.

Which negotiation techniques work in purchasing?

On the purchasing side, BATNA, bundling variables (volume, timing, payment terms), calibrated questions and decreasing concessions work best. Salespeople should be able to recognise the same techniques in buyers.

How can you practise negotiation techniques?

Most effectively in conversations based on scenarios from your own sales process: role-play with a trainer and repetitions with an AI virtual client, for example in PipeChamp, where an AI trainer assesses every conversation.

Which book on negotiation techniques should you read first?

Good starting points are the classic of interest-based negotiation, “Getting to Yes” by Fisher, Ury and Patton, and “Getting Past No” by William Ury on difficult counterparts.

SalesBooster

Want your team to negotiate with techniques, not discounts?

In SalesBooster we build the negotiation strategy into your sales process, match techniques to your industry and practise them with a virtual client in PipeChamp.

4 monthsprocess · communication · team · CRMDiscover SalesBooster Book a demo

17 techniques with pros and cons
Virtual client practice in PipeChamp
1,700+ companies supported in sales

About the author

Filip Duszczak

CEO and founder of InStream Group, 17 years in B2B sales. He built a team of 70+ specialists that has supported more than 1,700 companies in sales across 40+ markets.

LinkedIn profile

Increase Sales

Trusted by 1,700 companies from Poland and around the world

Types of negotiation strategy: the foundation for techniques

Collaboration

Competition

Compromise

Accommodation

Avoidance

Strategy, method and technique: the difference

Strategy

Method

Technique

Why strategy matters more than technique

Technique without strategy ends in a discount

Strategy tells you when to walk away

A shared strategy keeps prices consistent

Classroom training or virtual client: how to learn negotiation techniques

Lecture and case study

Role-play with a trainer

AI virtual client (PipeChamp)

The most popular negotiation techniques: 17 methods with pros and cons

1. First offer with a rationale

2. Anchoring (high opening)

3. Concession for concession

4. Decreasing concessions

5. Bundling variables

6. Options to choose from

7. Calibrated questions

8. Labelling emotions

9. Mirroring

10. Silence

11. BATNA as leverage

12. Time pressure

13. Withdrawing the offer

14. Splitting the difference

15. Salami

16. Dead fish

17. Good cop, bad cop and the absent authority

The InStream Group method: practice on a virtual process and a negotiation strategy

Process and negotiation stage

Negotiation strategy

Choosing techniques

Sparring with a virtual client

Video: what practice in PipeChamp looks like

Negotiation techniques practised on your company’s process

Clients and their stories

Emitel × InStream

Mr Staff Support

Studio201 × InStream

Packon

Personal System × InStream

Proexwork

StethoMe × InStream

Iguana Group × InStream

HSK Consulting

MAAG Gear

See how we help companies like yours

TOP traits of a good negotiator

Preparation

Patience

Curiosity

Emotional control

Assertiveness

Knowing the numbers

Flexibility

Integrity

TOP books on negotiation

Getting Past No

Bargaining for Advantage

Negotiation Genius

Start with No

The Art of Negotiation

Ask for More

Techniques by industry: how to match techniques to your market

IT and SaaS

Manufacturing and industry

Professional services

Logistics and transport

Distribution and wholesale

Construction

Technique or intent: when a technique becomes manipulation