In Sales training programmes, negotiation skills are often missed altogether. One might say that the 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, most of us believe that our viewpoint is very important and that others 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 others.
If sales courses don't always teach influencing skills, how then can you convince other people to favourably consider your recommendations?
Believe it or not, there is a science backed up by more than 60 years of research that has informed our understanding of the use of influence to satisfy our needs and wants in sales negotiation. The world's leading authority on the science of persuasion, Dr Robert Cialdini, has uncovered 6 principles of persuasive communications in his studies:
Reciprocation
Liking
Commitment & Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Social Proof
Whilst influence will always be somewhat of an art, it is really helpful to harness the power of the 6 principles uncovered by scientific research to increase your chances of persuading others to give you what you really want.
Let's start by closely looking at what is believed to be the most important principle from a negotiation viewpoint - reciprocation.
Reciprocation means that we return to others the form of behaviour that they exhibit towards us. If you have done me a favour, 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 employ it to get what you would like?
Here's how:
Ensure that when you negotiate you ask for a little more than you would be happy to receive.
Let's say you are marketing a widget and you need to obtain $ 100 for the widget.
If you want to use the principle of reciprocation, then you should commence by asking for a little more - let's say by asking for $ 105.
If your counterparty does not agree to paying you $ 105 for the widget, then you are able to offer a concession by reducing your price to $ 100 in return for your counterparty also making a concession to you. A concession that your counterparty could make in this case could be to pay you cash on the spot or to pay for shipping etc.
The key is for you to make the concession - don't wait for your counterparty to make a concession. Just make sure that you use the word 'if' when you make your concession:
"If you are prepared to pay me in 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 prepared to be flexible and you will now significantly increase 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 went away from a negotiation to reconsider your proposal, your counterparty will be more likely to regard your amended offer as a new proposal, not as a concession.
Relevant Resources
