User started building a tool to help track negotiation signals from suppliers, as they found it difficult to read counter-offers over email. They believe this tool could help others in similar situations.
Last year I noticed something embarrassing about myself. On a supplier call, I could navigate objections just fine. But over email? I'd get a counter offer like: *"We can only offer this price with 500 MOQ."* And I'd sit there for 20 minutes not knowing if I should: \-> Push back \-> Accept \-> Ask a question \-> Walk away Not because I lacked confidence. Because I had no system for reading what the email actually meant. So I started logging every supplier negotiation I did. What I found after 40+ deals: \-> In most "budget" pushbacks, the real issue was risk, not cost \-> Suppliers who respond fast to counter-offers almost always have room to move \-> Vague terms in emails ("flexible pricing", "depending on volume") are almost always leverage signals I was ignoring I started building a small tool to help me read these signals instead of guessing. Still rough. But it's already changing how I approach supplier conversations. Dropshippers here: what's the hardest part of negotiating over email? \-> Reading if the objection is real or tactical? \-> Knowing when you have leverage? \-> Not sounding desperate when you need the deal? *(Depending on what you're struggling with, I might be able to share the signal framework I built.)*