Why Good Sales Negotiators Say The Same Thing Over And Over Again

Sometimes You Want To Be A Broken Record During A Sales Negotiation
Sometimes You Want To Be A Broken Record During A Sales Negotiation

I love to negotiate. Give me an objective, sit me down across the table from somebody who has what I want and let me at them. However, as gung-ho as I am, there are times that I run out of new things to say. I’ve said it all. What should I do next?

Say It Again Sam

When you enter into a sales negotiation, you (should) have a very clear set of objectives that you want to accomplish. Every negotiation is different and so it can take a number of different paths.

You’ll generally have a chance to state your case. It’s what happens after that which can make life interesting. Specifically, if the other side doesn’t really respond – if they are not angrily attempting to counter your every demand, you may find yourself in an awkward situation.

The other side has not agreed to your requests, but they haven’t not agreed to them either. What’s a negotiator to do?

It turns out that the answer is rather simple – just start repeating yourself. That’s right: say what you’ve already said once again. If when you’re done, things are still getting quiet, then start it all over again and tell ’em what you’ve already told them.

Why Repeating Yourself Is So Effective

All of this might strike you as a bit wacky. I mean, if you’ve told the other side what you want and why you want it, what need could there possibly be for you to start to repeat yourself?

This might surprise you a bit, but there is a very good chance that the other side of the table may not have heard what you said the first time that you said it. There are all types of studies out there that show that people will do a better job of picking up on what you are saying if you repeat it (over and over again).

Professional speakers discovered this a long time ago and during their speeches they’ll touch on the same points multiple times. As negotiators, we need to have the courage to do the same

We need to realize that if the opportunity presents itself, then we need to seize it. Repeating ourselves may be the one thing that it takes to reach a deal in our next negotiation.

What All Of This Means For You

Even the best of us can run out of things to say during a sales negotiation before we’ve reached a deal with the other side. We’ve said what we had to say and now we’re running on empty.

Never fear – a good sales negotiator knows that the sounds of silence need never drift across the negotiating table from your side. Instead, back things up and identify your key points again. Once you have them in hand, repeat what you said the first time – over and over again.

This odd but strangely powerful technique will allow you to fill the space in the negotiation and can work miracles – hearing your points again may cause the other side of the table to adopt them as your own. Realizing that not every word that tumbles out of your mouth has to be a novel thought is something that can empower every sales negotiator.

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

Question For You: Do you think that it is possible to repeat yourself too much during a sales negotiation?

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What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time

Got a great email from reader Nadir Benouali the other evening. Nadir has a fantastic set of negotiating experiences and was willing to share them. Nadir is a US citizen of Algerian origin, and speaks Arabic, Spanish, and French. He has spent the last 20 years negotiating business around the world which provided exposure to all of the differences that the world has to offer.