The best way to “win” in negotiating is to make the buyer feel like what is purchased is a gain rather than a loss of money. It really comes down to word choice. This is what was discovered in a recent study by researchers at Leuphana University of Lüneburg and Saarland University in Germany.
For example, the researchers ask you to imagine selling a car. After looking it over, you can either say “I would like 9,000 Euros for the car,” or “I’ll give you the car for 9,000 Euros.”
The content in those two sentences is the same; however, the second one is the version to say.
“Saying: ‘I’ll give you my car for 9,000 Euros’, draws the attention of your opponent on your car—which is what they can gain” said Dr. Roman Trötschel, one of the study’s authors. “If you do otherwise, you will emphasize the resource they would lose in case a deal is struck, namely the money he needs to shell out for the car. We were able to demonstrate that the party, whose loss is emphasized in the negotiation, is less willing to make concessions.”
The researchers conducted eight studies involving a total of 650 subjects. The results were always the same—bringing the offered resource to the foreground achieves favorable results. These findings apply to sellers, too.
For sellers, Trötschel suggests not lowering a price immediately, but add value to the offer.
“Offer to fill up the car. Throw in the winter tires, as well as a bottle of special cleaning fluid for the paintwork,” Trötschel said. “Emphasize what your vis-à-vis will gain—not the money that they would lose if you reached an agreement.”
(photo credit: The Open University (OU) via photopin cc)
