The #1 Sign of a Great Negotiation Skills Training Program
If your sales team has ever participated in a negotiation skills training program, I’d bet money you weren’t thrilled with the results.
Why?
Because most negotiation skills training programs are way too focused on the salesperson, or the negotiator. Your team probably learned a bunch of tactics to overcome objections, achieve psychological dominance over the person they’re negotiating with, and even trick the other person into giving them what they want.
After learning these kinds of skills, your team gained a very specific set of beliefs about what negotiation is, and what it isn’t. From that point on, they entered each negotiation focused on those beliefs, forgetting that their thoughts about negotiation mattered far less than the other person’s thoughts about negotiation.
Just liking making a sale or resolving conflict, a successful negotiation must be focused on the other person. You have to meet them at their level of understanding and negotiate on their terms, asking yourself questions like…
- Does this person enjoy negotiating or hate negotiating?
- Will the outcome of this negotiation impact their standing in the company?
- What’s at stake for them and what are they willing to risk?
Negotiating on their terms doesn’t mean giving in to their demands; it means approaching the negotiations from a place of empathy and common ground. It also means understanding expectations, speaking the same language, and accounting for differences in negotiation styles.
Your sales team can’t negotiate in a vacuum. Instead, they need a negotiation skills training program that will teach them flexibility and the ability to accommodate any negotiation situation.
Mike Hourigan is a negotiation skills training speaker and trainer for established companies, organizations and events throughout the United States and Europe. To find out how Mike can help your company master negotiation skills, call 704-875-3030, 888-PRO-KEYNOTE or fill out the form below: