People negotiate differently – and behave differently – during the negotiation process. We can observe different styles of negotiation and how different types of behavior can affect the outcome of negotiations.

In commercial negotiations, some people negotiate quickly and take risks; others take their time and try to avoid risk. Some buyers are very loyal, others will automatically shop around. Some negotiators can be quite intimidating – to the point of being rude; others are quite passive and easily manipulated.

This makes selling and negotiating a real challenge. To negotiate with all these different buyer types, we need to be able to adapt our behavior and be flexible in our approach.

To begin this process, we can look at two aspects of buyer behavior – assertiveness and responsiveness.

People who are assertive are confident and know what they want. They are not afraid to put forward opinions and are willing to listen to the opinions of others. They are not afraid of conflict and will be more than happy to argue their case.

People who are highly assertive can be seen as being aggressive, while people who lack assertiveness are often passive and get taken advantage of. There are times when it is appropriate to be more or less assertive and we need to recognize when these times are.

Responsiveness means the extent to which people are willing to respond to us and our questions. Some people are highly responsive and will give lots of information about themselves, their problems and needs. Others are unwilling or unable to respond in this way and we see these people often as being negative or difficult.

We are all different – some of us are naturally assertive and some of us are not. Salespeople tend to be quite responsive, but sometimes we lack assertion. An example of this is during negotiations.

When customers put us under pressure to reduce prices or give discounts, we find it difficult and uncomfortable and worry about damaging the relationship with the buyer.

There are four basic styles of behavior and these are determined by the way in which people relate to one another.

How can you ensure that you approach people in the correct way?

“Knowing About Social Styles” developed by Merrill and Reid, is a theory which I have discussed in several of my articles and it is very useful to have a thorough understanding of it when negotiating. In the Social Styles Model there are four basic “styles”, or preferred ways of interacting with others.

Merrill and Reid believe that a person’s social style is a way of coping with others. People become most comfortable with that style, in themselves and others.

A person’s social style is measured in relation to three behavioral dimensions:

• Assertiveness

• Responsiveness

• Versatility
The Assertiveness Scale

Measures the degree to which a person is seen as attempting to influence the thoughts, decisions or actions of others, either directly by tell behavior or by questioning – i.e. ask behavior.

‘Tell’ behavior: Is risk-taking, fast-paced, challenging.

‘Ask’ behavior: Is co-operative, deliberate actions, minimizing risks.

The Responsiveness Scale

Measures the degree to which a person either openly expresses their feelings or controls their feelings. The ends of the scale are “control” and “emote”.

‘Control’ behavior: Is disciplined, serious and cool.

‘Emote’ behavior: Is relationship oriented, open and warm.

The two scales combine to give a two-dimensional model of behavior, which will help you to understand how others perceive you. The dimensions of behavior will also help you to plan how you can deal more effectively with people of different social styles.

Tomorrow, “The Four Social Styles And How You Should Negotiate With Them”

News:  This time next week, we will be preparing ourselves for the fourth day of the Sales & Marketing Online Success Conference - it promises to be a great day …

Day Four Thursday May 12th

Only 20% of Sales Leaders Succeed – Their Secrets Revealed 
Presented at: 12:00 – 12:30 EASTERN
by Linda Richardson
Founder and Chairman of Richardson

Successful B2B Sales and Marketing Alignment 
Presented at: 12:45 – 1:15 EASTERN
by Christian Maurer
The Sales Executive Resource

Lemonade Stand Successful Sales Strategies 
Presented at: 1:30 – 2:00 EASTERN
by Diane Helbig
President of Seize This Day Coaching

Driving Sales Success using Business Model Frameworks 
Presented at: 2:15 – 2:45 EASTERN
by Bob Apollo
Founder and CEO at Inflexion Point

Ultimate Cold Calling Success Secrets
Presented at: 3:00 – 3:30 EASTERN
by Wendy Weiss
The Queen of Cold Calling™

4 Modern Fundamentals for Sales Success 
Presented at: 3:45 – 4:15 EASTERN
by Michael Griego
President and Founder of MXL Partners

5 Ways to Have Fun Successfully Prospecting for New Revenues 
Presented at: 4:30 – 5:00 EASTERN
by Lori Richardson
Founder and President of Score More Sales

You can discover the agenda for the entire five days here ….

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