by Henk Botha FIAC B.
IUR. LL.B
© 2000 Bellstone Training
(International) Limited
You may not reproduce this Report
or any part of it without the express written permission of Bellstone
Training (International) Limited, First Floor, Victory House, 99 -
101 Regent Street, London W1R 7HB, England
Can you sometimes predict how
people will respond to your proposals? As a seller, you probably
expect buyers to say, "Your price is too high!" or, "If
you don't give me another 5% discount, I'll have to take my business
elsewhere." As a buyer, you probably expect sellers to put
pressure on you to buy now, instead of tomorrow. Or, you may think
that the seller will not deliver on time. As a job seeker, you may
think that the prospective employer may think that you are too old,
too young or too inexperienced for the job. You can probably think of
many situations where you can almost guarantee that the other person
will react in a certain way.
Smart negotiators use the Future
Shaping technique to shape the other person's predictable behavior.
With this technique you deal with the problem up front and shape the
deal around it.
Years ago, I applied for a high-powered, professional job. Although I had all the right qualifications and experience, I knew that the interviewing committee would probably think (although they would not outright say so) that I was too young for the job. During the interview, I said, "I know that my age could count against me, even where I have the qualifications for the job. I'm convinced that my age is an advantage, but I want to make sure that you are comfortable about it." Having said this, I anticipated the committee's predictable behavior. Also, I got them to expressly confirm that they would not use age as a criterion for selecting the right candidate. As it turned out, I landed the job against very stiff competition. Afterwards, I reliably heard that, before the interview, some committee members had expressed concern that I might be too young for the job!
Perhaps you are negotiating with
someone whom you expect will raise a price objection. Instead of
waiting for the objection, you say, "I know that at some point
you'll probably think that the price is too high. Do you think so
now?" If he says "Yes", you can now deal with the objection.
By mentioning that you expect the
customer to feel that the price is high, you are shaping his future
feeling. You are programming his behavior. Also, you are reinforcing
his trust in you, because you have predicted his future behavior.
After all, trust is the firm belief in reliability and predictability.
Have you ever negotiated with
someone who used the "Nibbling Tactic" on you? Just when
you thought that you had a deal, the other person gently asked for
another little concession, and another, and another.
If you think that the other person
might ask for last minute concessions, ask, "Do we have
agreement?" If he says, "Yes", ask, "What do we
do if you want some changes later on?" If he says, "I'm
happy with the deal as it is", ask him, "Is it OK with you
that in the unlikely event of you asking for changes later on, that I
can then also ask for changes?"
Can you see what has happened? If
he says that he is happy with the deal as it is, he is committing
himself out loud for the deal. You have then programmed his future
behavior. You also shaped his future expectation that you'll insist on
changes if he asks for further concessions.
Let's say you are dealing with a
distributor who is always late with deliveries. The negotiation might
sound like this:
You: "Will you deliver on
Wednesday next week?"
Seller: "Yes."
You: "What should I do if you
don't deliver on Wednesday?"
Seller: "Look, you'll get
delivery on Wednesday."
You: "Well, in the unlikely
event that you cannot deliver on Wednesday, can we take 5% off the
purchase price to cover our expenses?"
Have you experienced that feeling
after making a deal that you have made a mistake? Or has someone
tried to cancel a deal with you after a day or two? This is called
"buyer's remorse", that feeling that one has made a
mistake. You can use "Future Shaping" to manage this
behavior by someone with whom you negotiate. Let's say you are
selling your car. Before signing the final deal, you say, "If we
make this deal, how do I know that you won't come back to me
tomorrow, or at some other time, wanting to cancel the deal?"
Your buyer might say, "I won't
want to cancel the deal." You may respond, "But in the
unlikely event that you do want to cancel the deal, would it be OK
for me to refuse?"
When you use Future Shaping, you
anticipate the other person's behavior. Simultaneously, you shape his
future expectation.