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Course 25 · Work playbook 05

Learn Sales & Negotiation

Qualify real needs, run useful discovery, communicate value, handle objections, negotiate terms, and close cleanly.

What you’ll leave with

A complete sales conversation plan, discovery guide, value case, objection library, negotiation sheet, and follow-up sequence.

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Watch first

A useful primer before lesson one.

This video is published by Stanford Graduate School of Business. It complements the Life Starter sequence; it does not replace the work inside the lessons.

Watch directly on YouTube
Stanford Graduate School of BusinessThe Art of NegotiationYouTube
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

This is the working brief for the full course: who it serves, what to prepare, what good work looks like, and the language you will use along the way.

Who this is for

Freelancers, founders, account teams, job seekers, and professionals who need to reach agreements without pressure tactics or improvised conversations.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Choose one real product, service, proposal, salary discussion, or internal initiative to use throughout the course.
  • Collect truthful proof such as results, samples, customer language, constraints, costs, and delivery capacity.
  • Identify any approval, pricing, contracting, privacy, or compliance boundaries that apply before outreach.
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

Build and rehearse a complete opportunity file: qualification criteria, discovery agenda, value narrative, objection responses, negotiation plan, written proposal, and follow-up schedule.

Three operating principles

The rules behind the steps.

01

Diagnose before presenting

A relevant recommendation requires evidence about the other party’s goals, current state, cost of inaction, constraints, and decision process.

02

Value needs proof

Claims become credible when connected to observed needs, specific outcomes, evidence, and honest limitations.

03

Trade; do not concede

Every meaningful concession should purchase something in return, such as scope, timing, volume, certainty, or payment terms.

Working vocabulary

Key terms worth knowing.

Qualification
Testing whether a problem, fit, authority, urgency, budget, and workable next step exist.
Discovery
A structured conversation used to understand goals, problems, impact, constraints, and decisions.
BATNA
The best alternative available if the current negotiation produces no agreement.
Concession
A change in your requested terms, ideally exchanged for value rather than given away.
Your route

Six lessons.
One finished outcome.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Define the buyer and outcome

    Focus effort on people with a real problem you can solve and a plausible path to action.

  2. 2
    28 min

    Research and earn the conversation

    Create relevant outreach that gives the recipient a rational reason to respond.

  3. 3
    35 min

    Run useful discovery

    Understand the current state, desired result, consequences, constraints, and decision process before recommending anything.

  4. 4
    32 min

    Present value and proof

    Connect a recommendation directly to discovered needs using credible evidence and clear tradeoffs.

  5. 5
    31 min

    Handle objections without pressure

    Clarify concerns, test their real cause, respond with evidence, and preserve the option of a respectful no.

  6. 6
    38 min

    Negotiate, close, and follow through

    Prepare alternatives, exchange terms deliberately, document agreement, and create a clean handoff.

Use the tools

Make the lesson easier to act on.

See all tools
workbook

Opportunity and negotiation tracker

Organize prospects, discovery evidence, terms, and follow-ups.

Source transparency

Trust, then verify.

The practice sequence is original editorial synthesis. Current rules, safety details, and platform requirements should be confirmed with these primary or authoritative sources. References reviewed September 9, 2026.

Salesforce Trailhead — Build a sales processStanford Graduate School of Business — The art of negotiation
Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one