Eating Healthy for Life

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

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

Believe it or not, there is a science supported by more than 60 years of research that has informed our knowledge of the use of influence to meet our needs and wants in sales negotiation. The world's foremost expert on the science of influence, 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 optimise your odds of convincing others to give you what you really want.

Let's start by closely looking at what I believe to be the key 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 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 need to get $ 100 for the widget.

If you want to apply the principle of reciprocation, then you should start 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 can extend a concession by reducing your required 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 facilitate 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 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 reconsider your proposal, your counterparty will be more likely to regard your amended offer as a new proposal, not as a concession.