How to negotiate mirror prices: R$ 2, R$ 20 and Natan's close

In Arena do Vidro EP2, Janael and Rômulo had 15 minutes to sell, on the street, the mirror they had just made. Janael sold in 35 seconds, for R$ 2. Rômulo sold in 3 minutes and 7 seconds, for R$ 20. Both completed the challenge. But if you look at the negotiation and not just the stopwatch, the story changes.

In this post I want to talk about how to negotiate mirror prices: what each of them did, what Natan, our judge from Peru, showed while closing a sale in Spanish, and what a glass shop that deals with customers every week can take from it.

Two sales, ten times apart

Janael got out of the car with his mind made up: find the first person in front of him and sell, whatever it took. He explained that the price didn't matter, he just wanted to sell. It worked in 35 seconds. Rômulo approached one, two, three, four people, and sold to the fourth. He thought he'd been the fastest and was surprised by Janael's time.

In the challenge the rule was to sell, and selling was worth 5 points for both. I made it clear afterward: the point wasn't price, it was facing the embarrassment of walking up to strangers and making an offer with a bunch of cameras behind you. But in real glass shop life, price is everything. The same kind of mirror went for R$ 2 in one case and R$ 20 in the other. The one who talked about the product got ten times more.

Natan's close: accept, then hand it over

The moment that teaches the most about negotiating in this part came from Natan. He explained how he does it in his own business: the customer asks for a discount, he comes up a little "for a soda", and when the customer holds firm on their number, Natan closes on the spot and puts the product in their hands. "Done, take it."

His explanation is the gold of the episode: when you accept and hand it over immediately, the customer feels committed. They won't say "no, I was joking". They made the offer, you accepted, the mirror is in their hands. The negotiation is over. And some people on the crew doubted it: how is a guy going to close a street sale in another language? He closed it.

What to watch for before you drop the price

Janael described a detail every salesperson knows: once the woman understood what was going on, she went straight to her purse for the money. When her hand went into the purse, it was sold. That's the buying signal. After it, every extra word is a risk, and every extra discount is money left on the table.

• Talk about the product before you talk about price. Rômulo showed the leather edge, said it was a real, first-rate mirror, and gave a reason to buy: the man's wife would love it.
• Let the customer name the number. "How much would you pay for this mirror?" got Rômulo's buyer to offer R$ 20, and the sale closed right there.
• Make a small counteroffer. Natan didn't fight for full price: he came up a little and, when the customer held, he closed.
• Once you accept, hand it over. Product in the customer's hands turns a conversation into a commitment.
• Once you see the buying signal, stop pitching. Hand in the purse, a question about delivery or installation: time to close.

In a glass shop, every discount needs a reason

On the street, with a stopwatch and a 5-point rule, selling for R$ 2 won the challenge. In a shop, selling at any price sinks the business. My takeaway from EP2: use Janael's speed and nerve to approach people, and Rômulo's pitch plus Natan's close to hold your price. Put all three together and you sell fast and sell well.

On the scoreboard, the sale gave both 5 points, the panel added its scores, and Janael left EP2 with 21 against Rômulo's 19.5. A tight race right to the end of the season.

What did the mirrors sell for in EP2?

Janael sold his for R$ 2, in 35 seconds. Rômulo sold his for R$ 20, in 3 minutes and 7 seconds, after approaching four people.

What was Natan's negotiation technique?

When the customer names a price and holds firm, he accepts on the spot and hands over the product. In his view, the customer feels committed and doesn't back out.

Did the sale price count for points?

Selling was worth 5 points to whoever sold, plus the judges' score. Leandro said the challenge wasn't about price but about facing the embarrassment of making the offer.

Watch the full episode 2 and compare the two approaches. If you think you can outsell them both, applications for the next Arena season are open here on the site.

Full episode 2 · How to sell a mirror on the street in 35 seconds · When the customer says it's too expensive

Episode 2