Mark Raffan: Stop Discounting, Start Negotiating

Mark Raffan is the founder and CEO of Negotiations Ninja™, a former procurement pro turned sales ally, and one of the sharpest minds in the negotiation game today. In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows welcomes Mark back for a tactical, no-fluff conversation on why most sales reps lose deals in the final 10%—not to competition, but to poor negotiation.

They dive into some of the biggest silent killers in dealmaking: value leakage, premature discounting, and procurement intimidation. Mark shares fresh takes on how to shift from reactive to strategic selling, why reps need to stop deferring to their managers, and how procurement actually evaluates ROI (hint: it’s about total cost of ownership).

You’ll also get a preview of his latest book, 9 Secrets to Win Deals and Influence Stakeholders, along with a sneak peek at what he calls negotiation alchemy.This one’s packed with practical insights that will make you rethink how you close.

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Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markraffan/ 

Connect with Mark on IG: https://www.instagram.com/negotiationpod/ 

Check out Mark's Website: https://negotiations.ninja/