Outbound sales
A price objection on a first quote is worked through the allowed steps before the call ends, instead of stalling the deal or jumping to the lowest number.
Explore outbound salesPrice negotiation · Negotiate
Persuasion that stops at your floor
Price pushback is where a sales call gets lost, or discounted away for nothing. Negotiate works through it one allowed step at a time, inside the price policy your team sets.
Opens where your policy says to start.
Concessions are traded for commitments.
Anything outside the policy goes to a person.
Each step is logged for the team.
Works with outbound sales. Negotiate runs inside Outbound sales campaigns and uses the price policy configured for each campaign.
Early access. Negotiate is not yet generally available. We scope it with your team for one campaign before it goes live, so ask us whether your pricing policy is a fit.
How it negotiates
One allowed step at a time, never a guess.
The agent does not decide what to offer. It reads the policy configured for the campaign and moves through it in order.
- Opening price
Starts where the policy says to start
The agent opens with the list price or the first discount step configured for this campaign. It never invents a figure.
- Objection heard
Reads the pushback, not just "too expensive"
A price objection is classified before the agent responds: a flat no, a comparison to another offer, or a request tied to a condition such as volume or payment terms.
- Next allowed step
Moves exactly one step, in order
If the policy allows it, the agent offers the next step down. It does not skip steps or leave the configured sequence.
- Floor
Holds at the floor
Once the lowest configured step is reached, the agent stays there. A deadline claim or a threat to walk away does not move it.
- Acceptance recorded
Writes the agreed step to the record
The moment the customer accepts, the step, any bundled condition and the result are written to the call's outcome record, where After-call workflows can pick them up.
- Handover when out of policy
Hands over what it cannot decide
A request the policy does not cover, such as a one-off exception or a non-standard term, goes to a person with the negotiation history attached. The agent does not guess.
A negotiation on a freight quote
Steps down, then agreed.
No prices are shown here. On a live call, the agent works from the list price and step values configured for the account.
That's higher than we were expecting. Can you match what the other carriers are quoting us?
Price lookuplist price for this lane, policy: 3 steps, floor set
Fair point, let me see what I can do for you. If you confirm the shipment goes out today, I can bring it down one step.
Policy stepstep 1 allowed: condition = confirm shipment today
Better, but we were hoping to land somewhere lower than that.
I want this to work for both of us. Lock in next month's volume along with it, and I can move one step further.
Policy stepstep 2 allowed: condition = next month's volume
Getting closer. Can you do any better than that?
I wish I could stretch it further for you. This is the floor for this lane today, but I can soften the payment terms or open up a wider pickup window, whichever helps more on your side.
Floor checkfloor reached, no further step; offer alternatives (payment terms, pickup window)
Alright, that works for us.
Glad we got there together. Shipment going out today, next month's volume locked in, sending the confirmation over now.
Recordagreed at step 2, conditions logged, CRM updated
OutcomeAgreed inside policy · 2 steps used · conditions attached
Policy, not improvisation
What the agent may do, and who decides it.
Every negotiation runs against a policy your team configures before the campaign starts. The agent works inside it. It does not write it.
| Policy area | Negotiate may | Negotiate may not | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening price | Start at list price or the first discount step configured for the campaign | Open below the first step, or above list price | Revenue or sales operations owner |
| Step sequence | Move down one allowed step at a time as objections are heard | Skip a step, or offer more discount than the current step allows | Same policy owner, configured per campaign |
| Floor | Hold at the lowest configured step and repeat it under pressure | Cross the floor for any reason, including a deadline claim or a threat to walk away | Fixed for the campaign, not adjustable mid call |
| Bundled conditions | Trade a step for a condition the policy lists, such as committed volume or a shorter payment term | Invent a condition the policy does not list | Policy owner, listed per campaign |
| Exceptions | Flag a request that falls outside the policy | Approve an exception itself | Human reviewer named in the campaign setup |
| Acceptance | Record the agreed step, terms and result on the call | Change a recorded acceptance after the call ends | Written automatically to the outcome record |
Where it fits
Any policy with a floor, not only a first quote.
The same step-and-floor logic applies wherever a campaign has a written policy to negotiate inside.
Renewals
In development: the same policy steps for a returning customer who pushes back on a renewed price, so the renewal call stays inside the agreed policy instead of ending in an ad hoc discount.
See how renewal calls are placedCollections with a discount policy
Where a collections campaign may offer a settlement discount, the same steps and floor apply to that discount.
See the finance industry pageWhat it does not do
The limits, stated plainly.
Negotiate handles the conversation inside a policy. These limits hold on every campaign, whatever the policy contains.
- It does not write or change the policy. Your team sets the opening price, the steps and the floor before the campaign starts, and they stay fixed while calls run.
- It does not negotiate where no policy exists. A campaign without a configured price policy gets no discount steps at all.
- It does not invent a condition to trade for a step. Only the conditions the policy lists, such as committed volume or a shorter payment term, can be offered.
- It does not approve an exception. The request goes to the reviewer named in the campaign setup, with the negotiation history attached.
- It does not rewrite the result. A recorded acceptance stays as agreed once the call has ended.
FAQ
Negotiate questions.
Can we use Negotiate today?+
Negotiate is in early access. We scope it with your team for one campaign, configure the policy together and test it before it takes a live call. Ask us whether your campaign is a fit.
Who sets the price policy?+
The policy owner named in the campaign setup, usually in revenue or sales operations, sets it with our team before the campaign starts. The agent applies it and never edits it, and the floor cannot be adjusted in the middle of a call.
What happens when a customer wants more than the policy allows?+
The agent restates its best offer or the alternatives the policy lists. If the customer still wants a different deal, the call goes to a person with the negotiation history attached.
Can the agent skip a step to close faster?+
No. The policy fixes the order and number of steps before the call starts. The agent moves through them one at a time and does not jump ahead to close sooner.
Does this work outside outbound sales?+
The same step-and-floor logic applies wherever a written policy exists, for example a collections settlement discount, as long as a policy is configured for that context. Renewal offers are in development.
Is every accepted price written back automatically?+
Yes. The agreed step, any bundled condition and the final result are written to the call's outcome record the moment the customer accepts.