Ask Mr. Fix it

In Sales training programmes, sales negotiation skills are often missed altogether. One might say that the underlying reason most of us feel the need to negotiate with anyone else is so that we can find a way to get what we need. Being human, we all believe that our point of view is very important and that everyone else should at least think about seeing things our way. If you had no desires or needs, there would be little reason for you to enter in into negotiations with anyone.

If sales courses don't always teach influencing skills, how then can you convince other people to favourably consider your propositions?

Believe it or not, there is a science backed up by more than 60 years of research that has informed our knowledge of the use of influence to meet our needs and desires in sales negotiation. The world's foremost expert on the science of influence, Dr Robert Cialdini, has discovered 6 principles of persuasive communications in his research work:

Reciprocation
Liking
Commitment & Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Social Proof

Whilst persuasion will always be an art, it is astonishingly helpful to use the power of the 6 principles uncovered by science to optimise your chances of influencing others to give you what you really want.

Let's start by looking at what I believe to be the most important principle from a negotiation viewpoint - reciprocation.

Reciprocation means that we return to others the form of behaviour that they demonstrate towards us. If you have helped me, then I should help you. If you invite me to your birthday party, then I should invite you to my birthday party. If you make a concession to me, then I should make a concession to you.

So what does this mean to you and how can you use it to get what you want?

Here's how:

Make sure that when you start a negotiation you ask for a little more than you would like to receive.

Let's say you are marketing a widget and you are planning to receive $ 100 for the widget.

If you would like to use the principle of reciprocation, then you should start by asking for a little more - let's say by requesting $ 105.

If your counterparty does not agree to handing over $ 105 for the widget, then you are able to make a concession by reducing your required price to $ 100 in exchange for your counterparty also making a concession to you. A concession that your counterparty could make in this case could be to pay you immediately on the spot or to take care of shipping etc.

The key is for you to make the concession - don't wait for your counterparty to offer a concession. Just make sure that you use the word 'if' when you make your concession:

"If you are prepared to hand over the cash right now, then I will reduce the price from $ 105 to $ 100". This way you give an indication to your counterparty that you are willing to be flexible and you will now significantly improve the likeliness of them also being flexible and offering a concession in return.

Just be sure to use this principle 'in the moment' whilst you are negotiating. If you walked away from a negotiation to reconsider your proposal, your counterparty will be more likely to regard your revised offer as a new proposal, not as a concession.

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