Another effective negotiation strategy is the yes-no negotiation.
Before starting phone calls with customers, consider asking them if they want to be in the position to say yes or no to your company by the end of the call. Are there other people who need to be included in the call? What questions will they want answered?
You can determine all of these parameters beforehand. This Animated Marketing Videocould help avoid wasted time on both ends and ensure that once the call is over, you may have their answer.
For example, you can say the following to a prospect at the initiation of your call: “Do you agree, for this to be the most productive call possible, that I will answer all of your questions so that you can make a yes or no decision at its conclusion?” If the customer says “no” to this, ask them what would make this the most productive call for them—their answer will reveal your prospect's true intentions (e.g. your prospect may just be kicking tires). If they agree to a yes-no outcome, proceed with your discussion and answer all their questions. Ask during your discussion, “Is there anything else you need me to answer for you to be able to make your decision?” When there is nothing left, ask them their decision. It should be a yes or a no. But if they respond with, “I need to think about it,” you are positioned to respond by saying that “I agreed to answer all your questions so that you may make a yes or no decision. Since you are unable to make a decision, there is clearly something I still need to answer for you. What is your outstanding question(s)?” You can continue this until the customer has enough information so they can decide yes or no.
