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In Sales training programmes, sales negotiation skills are often missed altogether. One might 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 need. Being human, most of us believe that our point of view 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 negotiate with others.

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

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 influence to meet our needs and desires in sales negotiation. The world's leading authority on the science of persuasion, Dr Robert Cialdini, has discovered 6 principles of persuasive communication in his studies:

Reciprocation
Liking
Commitment & Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Social Proof

Whilst persuasion will always be somewhat of an art, it is astonishingly helpful to use the power of the 6 principles discovered by scientific research to increase your chances of persuading others to give you what you really want.

Let's start by 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 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 use it to get what you need?

Here's how:

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

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

If you want to apply the principle of reciprocation, then you should start by requesting a little more - let's say by asking for $ 105.

If your counterparty does not agree to handing over $ 105 for the widget, then you can 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 cash 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 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 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 revised offer as a new proposal, not as a concession.

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