Sales Training Advice: Getting What You Need From Your Sales Meetings Through Effective Negotiation Techniques

In Sales training programmes, sales negotiation skills are often missed altogether. You could say that the reason most of us feel the need to negotiate with others is so that we can find a way to get what we would like. Being human, we all believe that our opinion is important and that everyone else should at least think about seeing things our way. If you had no wants or requirements, there would be little reason for you to negotiate 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 supported by more than 60 years of research that has informed our understanding of the use of persuasion to satisfy our needs and wants in sales negotiation. The world's foremost expert on the science of influence, Dr Robert Cialdini, has identified 6 principles of persuasive communication in his research work:

Reciprocation
Liking
Commitment & Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Social Proof

Whilst persuasion will always be an art, it is incredibly helpful to deploy the power of the 6 principles identified by science to maximise your chances of persuading others to give you what you really want.

Let's start by examining at what I believe to be the most important principle from a negotiation point of view - reciprocation.

Reciprocation means that we return to others the form of behaviour that they demonstrate towards us. If you have done me a favour, then I should do you a favour. 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 deploy it to get what you want?

Here's how:

Ensure that when you start a negotiation you ask for a little more than you would be satisfied to receive.

Let's say you are trying to sell a widget and you are planning to get $ 100 for the widget.

If you would like to apply the principle of reciprocation, then you should commence 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 asking 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 immediately on the spot or to take care of shipping etc.

The key is for you to offer 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 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 enhance 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 review your proposal, your counterparty will be more likely to regard your amended offer as a new proposal, not as a concession.