Negotiation and Closing
What works in our industry.
LACPAAC A Closing Sequence
How to Negotiate Your Recruitment Service Fee
Negotiating the price of your Interview Process Day or GRIP service is not about pushing harder, discounting faster, or “winning the argument.” It is about controlling the conversation, anchoring value, and guiding the client toward the decision that best serves their business. Your offer is unique and solves real problems. When you set the conversation up correctly, negotiation becomes unnecessary.
Selling is fundamentally about getting someone to keep talking. When you listen deeply, reflect their words accurately, and show that you understand their world, they will tell you exactly how to close the deal. People trust those who listen to them and trusted advisers rarely face price resistance.
This article gives you a step‑by‑step structure to follow in real client conversations.
1. Get them to say “That’s right” three times
The fastest way to build trust and gain control of a sales conversation is to demonstrate that you genuinely understand the client’s priorities. Your early goal is simple: get them to say “That’s right” three times.
You achieve this not by pitching, but by asking strong, open questions that uncover their goals, frustrations, risks, and ambitions. When you reflect their words back accurately, they naturally respond with “That’s right.” This signals that they feel understood and safe and it positions you as the person who “gets it.”
Examples of opening prompts:
• “Tell me about your business and the main goal you’re focused on right now.”
• “What would you say are the three biggest priorities when recruiting a new sales team?”
Reflect their words back:
• “So your main concern is hiring productive salespeople who can hit the ground running.”
• “And you want to manage the upfront cash flow of fees and salaries.”
• “And you want to avoid losing time on endless interviews.”
When they say, “That’s right,” you have alignment. You now present your offer in a way that directly satisfies the priorities they told you, not what you assume they want.
2. Label the real problem
Clients rarely object to price. They object to uncertainty, risk, or lack of clarity behind the price.
Label the concern directly:
• “It sounds like you’re worried about paying for a process that doesn’t deliver.”
• “It seems the real concern is committing budget before seeing results.”
When you label the fear, the fear loses power. This is why we offer an introductory rate for the first event or first recruit only. It removes the fear of the unknown. Once they experience an Interview Process Day or GRIP, they understand the value and want to continue. You let them “win” the negotiation on the first purchase and then you never discount again.
3. Anchor the value, not the fee
Clients buy outcomes, not activities. Anchor the value before you ever mention the price. Instead of explaining what GRIP is, explain what GRIP achieves:
• “This process removes most of your hiring risk before you even meet the candidate.”
• “You get a system that filters out the wrong people early.”
• “It saves you hours of wasted interviews and lost productivity.”
• “It gives you a predictable, repeatable recruitment engine.”
You are reframing the conversation from price to protection.
4. Create the “no‑oriented” safety zone
People feel safer saying no than yes. Use this to your advantage.
Ask “no‑oriented” questions that move the conversation forward:
• “Would you ever want to hire someone who leaves within six months?”
• “Would you want a candidate who interviews well but performs poorly?”
• “Do you want to spend weeks interviewing people who aren’t right?”
People feel safer saying no than yes. Use this to your advantage.
Ask “no‑oriented” questions that move the conversation forward:
• “Would you ever want to hire someone who leaves within six months?”
• “Would you want a candidate who interviews well but performs poorly?”
• “Do you want to spend weeks interviewing people who aren’t right?”