Three information gathering tools for negotiation and sales. August 28, 2006
As any negotiator or sales executive will tell you, information is key to good negotiating. The group with the most information is in a better position. The ultimate example of this is when you know the negotiation position of the other group.
A friend of mine invited me along to assist with one of his negotiations. It was for a fairly large contract, and included many different parts. The pair of us walk into the board room of the client, and there are three people sitting with their backs to the window that looks over the city. We go through introductions, exchange business cards, and do some friendly banter.
Once comfortable, their lead negotiator opens his leather folder. On top of the note pad, is a single typed sheet with the 5 points they want to cover during this meeting. Along with those 5 points was a short line of what they would like and their minimum requirements. And while reading upside down is not difficult, only a few people seem to know how. Spend 30 minutes and you will be able to read upside down well enough. Luckily I learned to do it in primary school when someone dared me that I couldn’t. (This behaviour of proving people wrong has benefited me more than cost, although I do have many scars when things didn’t go according to plan). I quickly noted down a few things that I read off their list before it was turned over.
Suddenly we are in a better negotiating position, knowing where their bottom line was.
Through the course of the meeting, as the conversation continued, the other team would write notes back and forth. Another skill I learnt early on was how to read what someone was writing by watching the end of their pen. As they write a word, the opposite end writes the reverse in the air. Each letter is often exaggerated thanks to the pivot point being much closer to the paper. This enables, with a little practice, the ability for someone to read what you write, without ever seeing the page.
So as the other team wrote ‘private’ notes back and forth, I would translate and pass this information on.
Needless to say, the negotiation went well.
A third skill along these lines, lip reading, is much more difficult to learn. I’ve spent some time learning, practising and talking with those that can, but with little personal success. Part of this is the ambiguity in lip movements when making a sound. Stand in front of a mirror and read your lips as you say “Olive Juice” to understand what I mean.
Technorati Tags: Business, Communication, Learning, Negotiation, Persuasion, Psychology, Sales
- Posted in : Learning, Persuasion, Business, Stress
- Author : Michael
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