™Marketing Magazine Issue 15 | Page 21

NEGOTIATION work out the deal , they will tell you . If not , they ’ ll say “ That ’ s right ,” and you will end on the best possible relationship terms .
Delivery : Use a calm , downward inflection .
LABEL AT THE OPENING AFTER THEY HAVE ASKED “ HOW ARE YOU ?”
7 . “ It sounds like you have a place you want to start .”
When to use : Rely on this instead of the typical ( read : boring and rote ) “ Fine ! How are you ?” The other side has a place they want to start . They ’ ve thought it through and that was actually the real reason why they asked , “ How are you ?” They ’ re really trying to get a read on whether you ’ re ready to listen to why they called or agreed to the meeting in the first place .
Most people will be relieved that you respond like this . The others will be as well , though if they want the polite chitchat , they will pleasantly circle back to it and nothing will be lost .
Delivery : Use an encouraging and warm tone . Remember , your inner voice drives your outer voice .
LABEL WHEN THEY SAY THE PRICE IS TOO HIGH .
Labels are your friend whenever there ’ s any pushback on price . Because when it boils down to it , price is never the issue — value is . Next time someone pushes back on price , use this Label :
8 . “ It seems like the value is just not there for you .”
When to use : This is often a mis-Label , and their correction will guide you on how to make a better deal . When you find out their answer , then you can decide whether or not to try to make a deal since you ’ ve made no counteroffer , nor have you made any sort of accepting statement . You ’ ve just moved on to exploring the possibilities .
And if they simply say “ Yes ” or “ That ’ s correct ” or “ No , it ’ s not ” or something else that gives you nowhere to go ? Go back to No . 6 on this list .
Delivery : Speak with a downward inflection at the end . Alternatively , you can also use a short hesitation just after the “ It seems like ” and then upward inflect with a tone of genuine curiosity ( a question mark sound ) on the last word of the Label .
LABEL FOR PROOF OF LIFE™ .
Not sure if there ’ s a deal to be had in the first place ? Use these Labels in the opening conversation to save everybody time and cut to the chase :
9 . “ It doesn ’ t seem like you ’ re ready to make a commitment ( to us ).”
10 . “ It seems like you ’ re still shopping around .”
When to use : In at least 20 % of your opportunities , the other side is either “ kicking the tires ,” looking for a competing bid to drive down the price or terms on who they really want to do business with , doing due diligence , or looking for free consulting . You need to know if you ’ re the fool in the game — or if you ’ re the favorite .
Delivery : Use the same delivery as No . 8 .
WHEN IS YOUR NEXT LIFE- CHANGING BLACK SWAN NEGOTIATION MOMENT ?
Next time you find yourself in the middle of a tough negotiation , keep these go-to Labels in your back pocket and use them as the situation warrants .
Chris Voss is CEO of the Black Swan Group and author of the national best seller Never Split The Difference : Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It , which was named one of the seven best books on negotiation . A 24-year veteran of the FBI , Chris retired as the lead international kidnapping negotiator . Drawing on his experience in high-stakes negotiations , his company specializes in solving business communication problems using hostage negotiation solutions . Their negotiation methodology focuses on discovering the “ Black Swans ,” small pieces of information that have a huge effect on an outcome . Chris and his team have helped companies secure and close better deals , save money , and solve internal communication problems .
Chris has been featured in TIME , Business Insider , Entrepreneur , Inc ., Fast Company , Fortune , The Washington Post , SUCCESS Magazine , Squawk Box , CNN , ABC News and more .
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