Face to Face Negotiation

In our age of ever-expanding communication possibilities, researchers have been drawn to answer the question of which communication mode is most likely to lend itself to successful negotiation. Although the answer is undetermined, Face-to-face communication has been proven to have a greater possibility of alleviating miscommunication. When you're in person, you are more apt to pick up all the nuances of the exchange. That way, you will be better able to gauge what the other party is thinking and to determine the direction in which the negotiating is headed.

For the same reasons, it is also easier to create and maintain rapport. If there is already a fair amount of tension in the air, however, negotiating by phone can take the edge off, can provide breathing room and can minimize the effectiveness of any pressure tactics that may have been employed. E-mail's main advantage is that both parties have control over saying exactly what they want to say and how they want to say it. Since there is no ebb and flow to live conversation, the involved parties can keep the floor as long as they want. On the flip side, e-mailing can tend to make the negotiating parties less restrained and more impulsive in their communication. This rashness isn't always a bad thing, but it definitely can be if tensions exist. One study found that abrupt and unmannerly exchanges occurred 102 times when negotiating via e-mail as opposed to only 12 times when negotiating face-to-face.

Understanding Personality Directions

The more you understand personality directions, the better you will be able to customize your negotiation tactics. A personality direction is the way in which we lean most of the time in terms of the way we act and react to most stimuli. We hate to be boxed in and categorized, but the reality is, most of the time we are predictable. Sure, people aren't going to be 100 percent predictable all the time, but the more discerning you become, the more you will see how predictable individuals really are. Each individual's personality direction will dictate how you customize your message. When you analyze personality directions, ask yourself the following questions:

I. Is your audience mostly logical or emotional?

A. Logical people:
Think with their heads
Go with what makes sense
Are persuaded by facts, figures and statistics
Rely on past history
Use their five senses

B. Emotional people:
Think with their hearts
Go with what feels right
Are persuaded by emotions
Rely on intuition
Use their "sixth sense"

II. Is your audience introverted or extroverted?

A. Extroverted people:
Love to communicate
Are talkative
Involve others
Tend to be public people
Want face-to-face contact

B. Introverted people:
Keep their feelings inside
Listen more than they talk
Like to work solo
Tend to be private
Use memos and e-mails over face-to-face communication

III. Is your audience motivated more by inspiration or desperation?

A. Desperation-motivated people:
Try to get away from the problem
Are stuck in the past, are afraid of repeating mistakes
Avoid pain
Want to get away from something

B. Inspiration-motivated people:
Work towards a solution
See a better future
Are motivated by pleasure
Want to move forward, have vision

IV. Are your audience members or prospects assertive or amiable?

A. Assertive people:
Consider results more important than relationships
Make decisions quickly
Want to be in control
Are task-oriented
Don't waste time
Are independent

B. Amiable people:
Consider relationships more important than results
Are friendly and loyal
Like to build relationships
Are great listeners
Avoid contention
Are nonassertive and agreeable

Summary

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.