The Ultimate Sales Negotiating Goal: A Shared Vision

`You can't have two visions and reach a deal, you need to have one shared vision…
You can’t have two visions and reach a deal, you need to have one shared vision…

The goal of any negotiation is to get the other side of the table to see things your way. Hmm, how are we going to make that happen? What you are going to have to do is to become skilled at finding ways to support the position that you are taking. In order to get better at doing this, I’ve got 5 tips that will boost your skills…

Tips For Reaching A Deal Faster

If you want to be able to reach a deal with the other side of the table faster, then you’re going to have to take the time to give some thought to what it’s going to take in order to get them to see things your way. In other words, you’ve got some persuading to do. Here’s how to make that happen:

 

  • No, You Go First: Often during a negation you’ll find yourself in a situation where you need to communicate two different messages to the other side of the table at the same time. This could be something along the lines of yes we have what you are looking for in the quantity that you need, but the price is going to be higher than you want to pay. In these situations, you need to send the positive message first (“we have what you want”) before you send the negative message (“the price is going to be higher than you wanted”).

 

 

  • Focus On What They Want: A negotiation can take a great deal of both time and energy. If you want to boost your chances of finally reaching an agreement with the other side, then you need to keep stressing just how great it’s going to be when both sides are able to finally reach an agreement. Keeping the focus on the benefit of the deal is what will make reaching an agreement that much easier.

 

 

  • I Remember Promises: Professional negotiators know that if you are able to understand what the other side of the table really wants and deliver to them a message the generates a need in them, then when you provide them with information about how to meet that need, they’ll remember what you’ve said. However, there is a danger here. If the message that you deliver about their need is filled with threats about what could happen, then the other side will shut down and will reject your proposed soluiton.

 

 

  • Lack Of Involvement Is More Believable: Negotiations can get bogged down as each side tries to convince the other side to see things their way. When this happens, it can be helpful to have someone who has not been involved in the negotiations swoop in and deliver the same message that you’ve been trying to get across. Simply by having a non-involved person show up can often make the message more believable.

 

 

  • Obscure Other Opinions: I know that during a negotiation, my heart will drop into my shoes if the other side learns that some important person has decided that they oppose something that I am trying to convince them to do. Because of these experiences, I now try to isolate the other side during the negotiations so that outside opinions won’t complicate the negotiations.

 

What All Of This Means For You

Every negotiation has the same goal in mind: finding a way for all parties involved to reach a successful deal. The challenge comes from finding a way to get from where everyone starts out to agreeing on that deal in the end.

Skilled negotiators know that they need find ways to support their position if they want to have any hope of reaching a deal in a reasonable amount of time. In order to make this happen, you can use the 5 tips that we’ve discussed in order to steer the other side of the table towards the deal that you want to strike. Try them out and you’ll be amazed at how much quicker you’re able to wrap-up your next negotiating session!

– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World Negotiating Skills™

Question For You: What should you do if during a sales negotiation you become angry and don’t feel like wooing the other side of the table?

Click here to get automatic updates when The Accidental Negotiator Blog is updated.

P.S.: Free subscriptions to The Accidental Negotiator Newsletter are now available. Learn what you need to know to do the job. Subscribe now: Click Here!

What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time

The goal of any negotiation is to get the other side of the table to see things your way. Hmm, how are we going to make that happen? What you are going to have to do is to become skilled at finding ways to support the position that you are taking. In order to get better at doing this, I’ve got 5 tips that will boost your skills…