In my interview with negotiating expert Jim Camp, I was surprised when he stated that the top closing questions I had learned in my first sales book, Zig Ziglar’s “Secrets to Closing the Sale,” were not effective in negotiating. Some examples of these questions are: “Don’t you think this is the best you’ve ever seen? Don’t you think this would really make you happy? Isn’t it something you think you should do? Isn’t it?” Does this excite you? Are you not excited about this?
So why don’t these questions work in negotiations? It’s too easy for the other side to say no, and then where are you? You end up stuttering and tripping over yourself because you’ve been caught off guard.
But don’t people usually say yes to these questions? Sure, but what is your motivation. Does he really agree or does he not want to hurt your feelings by saying no? They are trying to avoid the conflict of having to say no to someone. But, that only creates resentment in his mind for being put in place.
Instead of verb-led questions, Jim Camp suggests using interrogative questions that can only result in a detailed response from the other person.
For example, instead of asking “Doesn’t this excite you?” Try asking “What would excite you about a product like this?”
Instead of asking “Isn’t this something you should do?” Try asking “What do you think you should do?”
The answers you get to these questions will be much more indicative of how the negotiation should proceed. Instead of getting a forced “yes”, you now have real information to work with.
The goal of your questioning should be to create a vision in the other person’s mind. Ideally, you want to create a vision that includes your product or service.
Your prospects’ decision will be based on what their view of the problem is. By asking the right questions, you are forming a vision of a suitable outcome in your mind, and at the same time, you can see if what you have to offer fits.
You may end up finding that your vision is not quite in line with what you can help with. In that case, it is your responsibility to be honest about it and finalize the negotiation or suggest an alternative solution.
However, if you see that what you can offer will help, you should follow up with questions that allow the person to see where your offer fits into their vision. Once you do this, you will have become a master negotiator. How will you apply this in your business?