Negotiation Word Power - Part Two

Reducing the impact


Occasionally, you’ll be aware of areas of potential difficulty in any sale or negotiation. In such cases, and depending on the likely behaviour of the other party, you might want to issue a pre-emptive strike – getting the problem out in the open and dealt with - before they make a big thing of it. Again, certain words or phrases can help. Examples:

• “I’m sure this won’t be a problem, but I want to make sure you know that…”
• “This doesn’t bother you, I’m sure”
• “There’s no big deal about this, but…”

And, you aim to make this as throw-away a line as you can. It won’t always work – but it can be one way out of some “awkward” moments



The one and ONLY!


Here’s a great word for you – “only”. This one word can help you through awkward situations during sales or negotiations. Here’s how you can use it to your benefit:

# To reduce the impact of a price. That’s why ads and price cards always tell you that the cost is “only XX”. So, the key is to never offer a price without using this key word

# To simplify what might appear complex. Think of ads telling you that, to gain a loan or order a product, all you have to do is make one phone call. When selling ads, or negotiating a deal, the other party might feel they are being asked to undertake complex tasks (e.g. creating an ad when they are not experienced in doing so). So, use words like “only” to show the other party how little they have to worry about i.e. “Your only task will be to decide the key products to be promoted. Then, we’ll handle the rest!”

# To let the other party see what “they alone” will gain. It’s much better to feel that you are special, that you’re receiving a truly preferential deal etc. Therefore, the word “only” can be used here to show this e.g. “It’s an offer that applies only to this agreement” – “This is the only time we might agree to this”. You are giving the other party to the deal “boasting” points to use, if they want, within their own organisation to show how well they’ve performed!



Use the present tense to discuss the “now”


A valuable part of a sales or negotiation situation can be to look to the future; often painting an attractive picture of the gains than can be enjoyed by the other party taking the action you want them to



Equally, you can tap in on past experiences to show how this future can be achieved


But, it’s also useful to keep people in the present – as this is the point where action takes place. If you simply talk about the future, it’s easy for the other person to put off their decision i.e. “Well, that’s next month, so I don’t have to decide right away”. So, look to use the present tense to encourage action and commitment. Examples:

• “Help me to understand what needs to happen today”
• “Tell me about the situation as it now is”
• “What media are you using at this moment?”
• “Who else are you talking to now?”
• “What immediate effect would doing this have on your business?”
• “Why is this currently of great importance to your business?”
• “What frustrates you most about the current situation?”

As ever, you can provide more of your own for specific situation you’re dealing with




Presenting options and alternatives


Often, when discussing negotiations, or looking at providing sales solutions; you will want to present options and alternatives to the other party. You may be wanting them to look at something in a new way, or consider a course of action they haven’t taken in the past. Again, using a range of specific phrases can help. Possibilities include:

• “Consider what the outcome might be if XXXX happened”
• “Have you assessed the opportunities that can be gained by…?”
• “What could happen if you allowed us to…?”
• “Imagine the possibilities if…”
• “How could we convince your bosses to expand the…?”
• “Let’s look at the scenario if we agreed to…”




Final words…

The examples shown on these two pages will help you choose your language with care in a wide range of sales or negotiation (or any other communication) situations. There will be more tips in future Bulletins


Negotiation Word Power - Part Two - To learn more about this author, visit Gordon Veniard's Website.

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