Nlp: Psychological And Tactical Approaches To Negotiation
The return on investment (ROI) from better negotiation has been communicated by many employees and companies and it includes to name a few: improvement in profitability, decrease of discounting offers and fostering more creativity in meeting internal and external customer needs.
“All winning is based on perception” (Anonymous).
Warfare is based on deception and perception. As Sun Tzu, the great Chinese philosopher taught: “If you are strong, appear weak; if you are weak appear strong; if you are near, appear far; if you are far, appear near”. Creating the perception of winning is one of the most fundamental tactics for creating a win-win scenario.
From a psychological and perceptual perspective our goal in negotiation is not only to feel we have won but also to make the other side believe they have won. The more you allow them to believe they have won, the quicker the negotiations will end and the easier it will be to create a win-win scenario.
The power of perception and its effect on behavior has been studied in NLP and hypnosis and has helped many individuals achieve exceptional results in business and life. A fundamental NLP principle worth noting is “We do not see reality, we perceive it” (N.L.P). So it becomes crucial for both negotiators to inwardly know that what they see is an interpretation of reality and not reality. “It is the eye behind the eye that does the seeing not the eye”. Watch this irresistible suggestion from sales hypnosis: “You are going to be very excited about what this computer can do”. These suggestions set up expectations. They work because people get what they think they are going to get.
The following are some techniques which illustrate the power of shifting perception:
Matching and Mirroring. When the salesperson appears to be very similar to the customer by matching body language and movements on a subliminal level, that salesperson is more trusted and is harder to resist. People like people that are like them. They perceive them as such without even knowing.
Age Progression. Is another psychological technique which allows a person to perceive as if he or she is living in the future. This technique can be used to assist a person in trying out something new. By showing negotiators how their deepest dreams and hopes will be realized, the only way they can resist a proposal is to resist their own dreams and hopes. For most people, it is nearly impossible to resist one’s own dreams and hopes.
Erickson Method. Erickson, the father of hypnotism did not resist difficult patients. In fact, he sometimes took the resistant patient’s beliefs one step further. Erickson might say, “You’re right. You may never ever be capable of experiencing hypnosis”. The only way the resistant patient could resist Erickson would be to go into hypnosis.
Mental Judo. You can bring up the objection first (before the other party does) and disarm it. We call this mental judo and it is the method preferred by sales champions.
As you see, using NLP in negotiation is fun and a worthwhile competency. On some occasions you might notice the difference from most other conventional approaches to negotiation in terms of effectiveness. It does work.
When negotiating remember two things. First, it’s a perceptual game, so don’t get emotional. Your emotions and perceptions can cloud your better judgment. Think in terms of tactics and concessions. The second thing to remember is that the feeling of winning is based on perception and that perception is related to what you do and how you respond. So, enhance your perceptual sensitivity by sharpening your negotiation skills with N.L.P.
With Meirc Dubai, Mr. Kantari specializes in training and consulting within the areas of Organizational Behavior with special emphasis on Management & Leadership, Sales & Customer Service. He is also an expert in N.L.P. and Emotional Intelligence. He helped several organizations in the Middle East by being a guiding force in empowering and motivating employees. For more info pls go to www.meirc.com
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