Episode 422

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Published on:

16th Jun 2025

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.

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

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/ 

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About the Podcast

Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows
John Barrows helps sales leaders decide whether to replace or rebuild their teams for the AI era. Drawing on 25+ years with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Google, and Amazon. Weekly tactics and guests to help you sell at a consistently high level.
John Barrows helps sales leaders decide whether to replace or rebuild their teams for the AI era, drawing on 25+ years working with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Google, and Amazon. He advises CROs and VPs of Sales on AI readiness, team structure, and go-to-market strategy. He trains sales teams on the fundamentals that drive consistent performance, with or without AI.