The negotiation technique is a separate science, the study of which was carried out by many great scientists in the field of economics. It is almost impossible to achieve perfection in this matter, there will always be where to grow. Negotiations are one of the most difficult work processes. Complexity arises most often when the situation at the table resembles a mini-war in which no one wants to retreat and oppresses his line. Thousands of books have already been written about all kinds of negotiation techniques, but the specialist receives basic knowledge in practice.
The result of a business meeting depends on your ability to convince and convey your thoughts. You need to be able to sell any product to call yourself a professional. Even the most wonderful thing will be refused to buy unless certain conditions are created. This rule also works in mirror image: a trinket that was competently and confidently presented will be the most sought-after product. The same can be said about the technique of negotiating with customers. You can tell about bad news in such a way that the interlocutor is not upset. And vice versa, they will be skeptical about excellent conditions for cooperation.
Communication technique. Unexpected question
There are many techniques for conducting business negotiations, each author has his own vision. In this material we will try to create a collective image of the most effective methods that will help conclude profitable contracts on your terms.
An unexpected question becomes indispensable in a situation where the interlocutor is not ready to make a final decision and hesitates between thinking and resistance. You can draw a parallel with martial arts, when the opponent is not repelled, but rather attracted to him. For example, one may ask quite unexpectedly: what goal do you consider unbelievable? The interlocutor will think about the answer, while already reducing the level of resistance. Then continue to develop the topic of how to achieve this result. The opposing side will give arguments, which will allow you to turn them back on track.
Magical paradox
This technique of negotiating with customers is a priori advantageous, but you need to use it correctly. The point is to create the impression of striving to achieve one goal, although your true desire is to achieve the opposite result. The method is perfect at the initial stage of negotiations. At this point, you need to transfer your opponent from a state of resistance to a state of deliberation. In a conflict situation, your "no" may cause the interlocutor to say yes.
Work with objections is given a lot of time in all organizations that deal with sales. You must first agree with the opponent by accepting his position on this issue. During the conversation, bring him to the conclusion that your arguments also have a right to exist. This technique of negotiating with clients is perfectly complemented by phrases at the end of sentences: "is not it?", "True?". In most cases, the interlocutor silently nods his head or openly agrees. Now you can smoothly proceed to the stage of cooperation. The main thing is to prove that you can be trusted and that you are the person who understands the client in everything.
Empathy
It is impossible to summarize the negotiation technique. It is necessary to consider the maximum number of options so that the reader can use the tips in real life. Empathy is empathy, its use is appropriate in cases where the interlocutors openly conflict and aggravate the situation to the limit. As a third party, you can intervene and take the side of one of the parties to the dispute. It is recommended that you try to raise the spirit of the accused.
Thus, negative feelings of anger and anger will turn into a positive sensation of understanding the state of the victim. Your task in this situation is to reduce the interlocutors to a conversation on neutral territory, offering to resolve the conflict on their own. It is necessary to tell each participant the motivation of his opponent, to offer to be "in the shoes" of the interlocutor.
Empathy Reverse Method
This method is suitable for people who specifically ignore your requirements, do not fulfill their immediate responsibilities, are simply lazy. The method is effective in dealing with naughty children.
The essence of this type of negotiation technique is that you convey to your interlocutor resignation to the situation, even though you are upset and irritated. In other words, the manager misleads his opponents by doing something that is not expected of him at all. For example, instead of claims and criticism, which, according to the logic of things, should fall upon subordinates, you focus on humility and guilt. Competent managers acknowledge their mistakes, which led to an unfavorable situation.
If you are actively using this method, but there are no results, you need to understand the psychotype of the interlocutor. Perhaps the opponent is a "daffodil." Sales have their own terminology. The category of "daffodils" includes those people who do not know how to build equal relations, they always put themselves higher. In their eyes, you are their fan or enthusiastic viewer.
“Do you really think so?”
All people are different, the main feature of a professional is to find an approach to everyone. Some are very dramatic, showing excessive emotions. Man winds himself and others. With this technique of negotiating in business, you transfer the interlocutor to a more balanced state. It is very effective to ask the question: "do you really think so?" It is only necessary to feel the situation, so as not to be a loser in this moment.
This question usually baffles overly emotional people. They really think, then they understand the senseless enumeration of passions. In this situation, you will hear excuses and retreat tactics. Of great importance here is the tonality of speech. It is necessary to ask kindly and calmly, in no case to use irony or hostility. A simple question asked in time will turn the situation upside down and you will become the leader in the conversation. Simply put, the interlocutor independently gives the initiative and helps to understand the true state of things.
Interjection "hmm"
Diplomatic negotiation techniques do not tolerate the use of parasitic words and interjections. However, we are told that we need to focus on a specific situation. An irritated and too excited interlocutor should be directed to a calmer course by defusing the situation.
This can be achieved by using the phrases “tell me more”, “so what?” etc. The use of interjections creates a friendly environment. When your opponent is emotionally trying to prove something, say “hmm”. In most cases, this makes him at least surprised. This is not a retreat to a dead defense, you just go into the shadows, allowing the opposite side to calm down and listen.
Many managers make a number of mistakes. You need to understand that the technique and tactics of negotiating require a high level of professionalism, because in a word you can destroy business relationships that have been built over the years. An enraged person does not need to say “calm down” to calm him down. The interlocutor is even more angry and will be opposed. The neutral "hmm" is not perceived as an insult. On the contrary, this is the first step towards an adequate conversation.
Recognize your weaknesses
In the practice of lawyers there is such a term as a reservation, or recognition of a fact. What does it mean? It turns out that the lawyer recognizes in advance that certain actions have been taken by the client, which does not need to be disputed. The order and technique of conducting business negotiations in this sense is no different.
If you understand that the enemy will raise this topic, it is better to immediately talk about their shortcomings or a potential problem. In fact, the interlocutors are often lost in such situations, because half of the prepared material will be unnecessary nonsense. For the successful development of business and personality, a person must master the ability to negotiate. Briefly outline your weaknesses to your opponent: the essence of the lack and due to what you can get rid of it. At the same time, it is not recommended to focus on this, after the presentation, you should go further to other topics for discussion.
Attention switching
When a conflict occurs, the interlocutors try to look more advantageous against the background of the opponent and pay too much attention to small details. In fact, they argued about one thing, and at the end of the conversation they moved to a completely opposite area. In such situations, one of the most effective techniques is to shift attention to other important topics.
You need to ask a personal question that will not touch the enemy and defuse the situation. Sales and negotiation techniques often overlap. If you ask the right question in a timely manner, you can simultaneously increase confidence in your person and, accordingly, sell a product or service. Often they are asked in such situations for future vacations, goals in life, etc. Consideration of a completely extraordinary proposal will create an easy and relaxed atmosphere. The main thing is to practice as much as possible. Perhaps in time you will be able to develop your negotiation techniques that will work better. In this sense, the exchange of experience is considered an indispensable luxury, you need to use it to the maximum.
Side by side method
The fact is that face-to-face communication is not comfortable, and often there are misunderstandings on this basis. The purpose of any communication is to win over a person, try to establish friendly contact. To keep the understanding at the level, you can apply the approach “side by side”.
A conversation turns into a joint activity of a team whose actions are aimed at achieving a common goal. During the conversation, ask as many questions as possible to get to know the person better. If you have enough information to determine your personal qualities, it will be easier to negotiate with your opponent.
Technique of conducting telephone conversations. The ability to listen
Typically, telephone calls are assigned to a separate group, we will try to consider this issue in this context. To achieve a positive result, you need to learn to listen and, most importantly, hear the interlocutor. It is not recommended to ask direct questions, because it causes irritation and suspicion. Many people regard this as an attempt to invade personal space.
It is much more effective to use the method of leading questions that reveal the interlocutor as a person. The telephone negotiation technique is slightly different from the face-to-face meeting. You need to be able to ask a question in which there is a conditional “pass”. The opponent will want to close this gap faster, and you will get a full conversation (you are going to purchase this refrigerator, because ...). Any information must be taken seriously, because you don’t know what kind of people will communicate with you in the future. If during a conversation you were able to identify the preferences of the interlocutor, push it during the conversation, so you will find yourself in a winning position.
Do not be afraid to hear no
This method is more related to the technique of conducting tough negotiations. Despite the fact that the interlocutor refuses you, it is necessary to achieve your goal. This approach is used by almost all sellers and sales managers. It consists in persistently achieving the goal. If you hear the final and irrevocable "no", it is better to give the client time to think. This is an advantage for you, because now you know for sure where is that red line that cannot be crossed.
However, it is still necessary to persistently offer goods and services, to achieve what you want from the client. If you hear the client’s refusal in response, do not rush to panic. Not always denial in this case means a final decision. In most situations, a person thinks how much his needs coincide with the proposal. Moderate perseverance helps the client to choose a quality product at the lowest possible price.
Self-control
Stress resistance at the moment is a very important feature, the absence of which can deprive you of work. In a situation of emotional breakdown, it is very difficult to recover, but if you use the methods of self-control, you will succeed. Often, managers lose their temper using the technique of conducting telephone conversations. In this case, it’s easier when you see a person live. It’s much harder to explain something in a telephone conversation.
In a stressful situation, the first and main advice is the call "no panic." First of all, you need to try to switch the brain into logical thinking and name the feelings that you are experiencing at the moment. Why this is done, you ask. Studies have shown that in such a situation, the tonsil in the brain calms down over time and thinking moves to the next stage: the logical-rational layer. In other words, you can put it this way: in case of nervous breakdowns, do not say the phrase “everything will be fine”, “everything is in order”. It is necessary to accurately describe the condition, for example, "I am scared." These words can be spoken aloud only when you are alone and can be silent for a minute and wait for the reaction of the body.
The value of interlocutors
All organizations have one principle - the client is always right. The technique of negotiating with customers in a bank is built on it. Everyone wants to be appreciated. A sense of self-importance gives people strength and patience. If you somehow showed how important the client is, then with a high degree of probability you will receive gratitude in the form of an agreement on your proposal.
A fairly common situation is when attention is required mainly by problematic people. There is a category of individuals who bring problems to life. They constantly ask for support, always unhappy. According to their feelings, the world is biased towards us, while they are unlucky.
Identify new customer needs
The negotiation technique is a complex thing, which we will consider more specifically. Identification of needs occurs through the formulation of leading questions. This is done so that the new client feels completely involved in the process and understands that his life problems and circumstances are not indifferent to the company. Each manager here chooses a way to achieve the goal. Someone is completely immersed in the task, someone only creates an illusion. A good salesperson should have a sense of responsibility for the result. According to statistics, this helps not only to get a real insight into the issue, but also to provide a quality service.
Therefore, identifying customer needs is at the head of all business relationships. You are already at the stage of negotiations you are establishing a trusting relationship with customers, which is good news. Further work at this stage will greatly facilitate the task.
Goal setting
All business relationships must be honest. And it doesn’t matter what it is all about: the purchase of goods or the provision of services. Presentation of the product is in almost all sales options. It allows you to visually show the planned benefit of the client, and then compare it with the needs. The buyer is immediately imbued with a trusting relationship, as the manager works, tries to find the most advantageous offer. The goal must be ambitious. If all employees strive to fulfill the plan's figures, the flow of people will increase as a result, and wages will increase.
When offering your service or product, remember the basic rule: you need to inform the client that he is not overpaying for something unknown, it is an investment in success. The negotiation technique does not allow the client to say that the task is complex and therefore expensive. The manager must clearly show how many stages of work exist, the average price of the service and what are its advantages compared to similar offers on the market. Let us give an example: you pay so much for filing an application, because it will be an individual claim, we will independently solve the matter with the court so that it accepts it, etc.
Before negotiating with a client, you need to carefully prepare and repeat all possible stages of sales. It is necessary to have training material and to know the practice of practicing objections. Be professional in your business, value and respect your customers - and you are guaranteed success.