In Sales training programmes, negotiation skills are often overlooked. You could say that the reason most of us feel the need to negotiate with others is so that we can find a way to get what we want. Being human, most of us believe that our opinion is very important and that others should at least consider seeing things our way. If you had no desires or requirements, there would be little reason for you to negotiate with others.

If sales courses don't always teach persuasion skills, how then can you convince other people to favourably consider your suggestions?

Believe it or not, there is a science supported by more than 60 years of research that has evolved our understanding of the use of influence to satisfy our needs and desires in sales negotiation. The world's foremost expert on the science of influence, Dr Robert Cialdini, has identified 6 principles of persuasive communications in his investigative efforts:

Reciprocation
Liking
Commitment & Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Social Proof

Whilst influence will always be an art, it is incredibly helpful to use the power of the 6 principles discovered by scientific investigation to optimise your odds of influencing others to give you what you really want.

Let's start by looking at what I believe to be the key principle from a negotiation viewpoint - reciprocation.

Reciprocation means that we return to others the form of behaviour that they exhibit towards us. If you have helped me, then I should do you a favour. If you invite me to your birthday party, then I should invite you to my birthday party. If you make a concession to me, then I should make a concession to you.

So what does this mean to you and how can you employ it to get what you need?

Here's how:

Ensure that when you negotiate you ask for a little more than you would be happy to receive.

Let's say you are marketing a widget and you would like to receive $ 100 for the widget.

If you would like to use the principle of reciprocation, then you should commence by asking for a little more - let's say by requesting $ 105.

If your counterparty does not agree to paying you $ 105 for the widget, then you can extend a concession by discounting your price to $ 100 in exchange for your counterparty also making a concession to you. A concession that your counterparty could make in this case could be to pay you cash on the spot or to take care of shipping etc.

The key is for you to make the concession - don't wait for your counterparty to make a concession. Just make sure that you use the word 'if' when you offer your concession:

"If you are prepared to pay me in cash right now, then I will reduce the price from $ 105 to $ 100". This way you give an indication to your counterparty that you are willing to be flexible and you will now significantly enhance the likeliness of them also being flexible and offering a concession in return.

Just be sure to use this principle 'in the moment' whilst you are negotiating. If you went away from a negotiation to reconsider your proposal, your counterparty will be more likely to regard your revised offer as a new proposal, not as a concession.