It creates some negotiating room, and you might just get what you¡¯re asking for.

Whether playing the role of buyer or seller in a sales transaction, asking for more than you expect to get is a classic opening position in negotiations.

In the audio book, ¡°Sound Advice on Negotiating Skills,¡± author Roger Dawson says, ¡°Henry Kissinger called this the key to success at the bargaining table.¡± It¡¯s simple, notes Dawson, but there are many profound reasons for doing it.

¡°It creates some negotiating room that makes it easier to get what you really want,¡± says Dawson. ¡°It creates a climate where the other person can have a win with you.¡± This climate can prevent negotiating deadlocks, especially when dealing with an egotistical negotiator, according to Dawson.

¡°When you¡¯re selling, it raises the perceived value of your product or service,¡± says Dawson. However, some salespeople are so eager to reach agreement that they soften their opening negotiating position. ¡°They hope that by doing this the client will appreciate how generous they¡¯ve been,¡± says Dawson. ¡°The danger in this is that the client may instead think, ¡®If they¡¯ve given us this much, we can get a lot more; let¡¯s be tough negotiators.¡¯¡±

The solution, says Dawson ¨C a renowned speaker and author of the book, ¡°Secrets of Power Negotiating for Salespeople¡± ¨C is to ¡°ask for more than you expect to get, but imply some flexibility so that you can encourage them to negotiate with you.¡±

Roger Dawson offers negotiating skills advice each week in the free audio newsletter from What¡¯s Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92

About The Author

Richard Cunningham is a principal of What¡¯s Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz, a publisher of business audiobooks and online audio programs on marketing, sales, and small business strategies.