“Thoughts may stay hidden until another knows how to overcome the objections to uncover them.” Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)
“Overcome Objections Of Value
How To Win More Negotiations Faster”
People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.
He said, “you get what you pay for.” “Meaning what,” was the response to his statement. Meaning, value is in the price, and if you want something with less quality, you can get it. But what I am offering is quality, and that is why the price is higher. And there they were, the latter attempting to overcome objections based on value.
When was the last time you haggled over value in a negotiation? Were you able to overcome objections, or were there bumps that stalled the talks and left bruises? That is a trick question. Because value, the perception of it, is at the heart of every negotiation.
Continue to discover how you can overcome objections of value in your negotiations that lead to better outcomes.
Considering Negotiator’s Needs
In every negotiation, good negotiators may conceal their real needs. They consider the optimum time to “put their cards on the table.” Negotiators do that to maximize opportunities and increase the probability of obtaining more from the talks. That is why it is advisable to understand what the other negotiator wants. You should also know what he will do if he doesn’t obtain it.
He may dally in his efforts to keep you from discovering his true desires. In so doing, he may be hoping that you will offer him more than he wants. Be aware of the cat and mouse game that he may be playing. And to keep from being the mouse, do not let him drag out announcing his real needs from the negotiation. If you allow him to be the cat, he will have his claws in you. Thus, you must provoke him into revealing his desires.
Using Setup Questions
Questions can bring about a wealth of information. But you must know how and when to use them correctly. For example, while seeking information about a voiced objection, you might retort with, why do you think that? Compare that to, “you do not believe that is possible, do you?”
With the first question, “why do you think that,” you most likely will get more input than the second one, “you do not believe that, do you?” And with that additional feedback, you would have more information from which to overcome the objection.
When considering overcoming objections, think about the questions you ask and how you can use setup questions to solicit more insights.
Practice Specificity
Question: what is the difference between 20 and 200? Answer: the perspective of value. The point is 200 may be perceived as possessing more value than 20, but not until you know what each number represents do you know its real value. And that is where specificity comes in.
To utilize specificity in your negotiation, ask questions that you have tightly woven into your negotiation strategy. The prior section on Using Setup Questions highlights the value of specificity.
An example of being specific with a question is: What is your number one objective to moving this negotiation forward? The other negotiator responds to your question. Then, your follow-up addresses the specific point you are attempting to uncover: Do you have more objections? You receive another response. From there, you pose another question: Are there any additional objections you have?
You want to continue using specificity in this manner until you have uncovered the objections that would keep the negotiation from moving forward. Once you are satisfied that you have done such, you might ask: So, if we can address these questions to your satisfaction, can we move forward? And while you may not be able to handle the questions satisfactorily to progress the negotiation, at least you will know the objections to doing so. And that is the point of using specificity.
Anticipating Objections
Another way you can overcome objections is to anticipate them and ready yourself for their arrival. By preparing for them, should they arise, you will be in a mental position to move swiftly upon the path you set for the negotiation. In addition, by preparing for such possibilities, you will uncover potential objections that might occur, which will give you more adaptability per how you address them.
Identify And Practice Addressing Objections
To assist in overcoming objections, one strategy you might employ is the ‘what if’ tactic. To boost its viability, consider utilizing the ‘what if’ strategy during your practice sessions. The process entails gathering additional insights through questions and assessing what might occur based on when and how you engage. Ask yourself, what if I do ‘A,’ versus ‘B,’ – what might happen?
In the planning stage of your negotiation, you should identify possible objections and rehearse for them. That should occur in any discussion that you consider to be serious.
Never discount the value of that exercise. If you practice identifying potential objections, the activity will prepare you better to address and enhance your chances for a more successful negotiation outcome.
Reflection
To overcome objections, you must become attuned to why they may exist in the negotiation and practice how you will handle them. By addressing the ones that may bear the greatest threat to the talks, you will become better prepared for them once they occur.
That will allow you to keep the negotiation on track for a positive outcome. It is about progress, not perfection. So, do not allow a less-than-perfect situation to prevent you from gaining information to overcome objections. And everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!
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