Eight Sources of Power in a Sales Negotiation
By Kevin Davis

谈判能力在每种谈判种都起到重要作用，无论是商务谈判、外交谈判，还是劳务谈判，在买卖谈判中，双方谈判能力的强弱差异决定了谈判结果的差别。

    对于谈判中的每一方来说，谈判能力都来源于八个方面，就是 NO TRICKS 每个字母所代表的八个单词——need, options, time, relationships, investment, credibility, knowledge, skills.

    NO TRICKS中的“N”代表需求（need）。对于买卖双方来说，谁的需求更强烈一些？如果买方的需要较多，卖方就拥有相对较强的谈判力，你越希望卖出你的产品，买方就拥有较强的谈判力。

    NO TRICKS中的“O”代表选择（options）。如果谈判不能最后达成协议，那么双方会有什么选择？如果你可选择的机会越多，对方认为你的产品或服务是唯一的或者没有太多选择余地，你就拥有较强的谈判资本。

    T代表时间（time）。是指谈判中可能出现的有时间限制的紧急事件，如果买方受时间的压力，自然会增强卖方的的谈判力。

    NO TRICKS中的“R”代表关系（relationship）。如果与顾客之间建立强有力的关系，在同潜在顾客谈判时就会拥有关系力。但是，也许有的顾客觉得卖方只是为了推销，因而不愿建立深入的关系，这样。在谈判过程中将会比较吃力。

    I代表投资（investment）。在谈判过程中投入了多少时间和精力？为此投入越多、对达成协议承诺越多的一方往往拥有较少的谈判力。

    C代表可信性（credibility）。如果潜在顾客对产品可信性也是谈判力的一种，如果推销人员知道你曾经使用过某种产品，而他的产品具有价格和质量等方面的优势时，无疑会增强卖方的可信性，但这一点并不能决定最后是否能成交。

    K代表知识（knowledge）。知识就是力量。如果你充分了解顾客的问题和需求，并预测到你的产品能如何满足顾客的需求，你的知识无疑增强了对顾客的谈判力。反之，如果顾客对产品拥有更多的知识和经验，顾客就有较强的谈判力。

    S代表的是技能（skill）。这可能是增强谈判力最重要的内容了，不过，谈判技巧是综合的学问，需要广博的知识、雄辩的口才、灵敏的思维……

    总之，在商业谈判中，应该善于利用“NO TRICKS”中的每中力，再加上NO TRICKS。

Negotiating power plays a major role in every type of negotiation, whether it's a labor negotiation, political negotiation, or a buy-sell negotiation. Both the buyer and the seller have power in a negotiation. Power is each side's perception of its strength or weakness in comparison to the other.

This perception of power affects the ability of each party to achieve its own goals, and the more negotiating power you have in comparison to that of your buyer, the fewer concessions you'll have to make.

For each party in a negotiation, there are eight sources of power. These are need, options, time, relationships, investment, credibility, knowledge, and skills. To remember the eight sources of power just remember the acronym NO TRICKS.

N stands for need. The essential question here is: who needs this sale more, the buyer or the Seller? The more intense the buyer's need, the more power the Seller has. The more intense your need to make the sale, the more power your buyer will have.

The "O" in no tricks stands for options. What are the options for each party if an agreement is not reached?

A buyer who believes that your product or service is unique has no other options. Your other options consist of the other sales opportunities you have waiting in the wings. The more options you have, and the fewer acceptable options your buyer has, the greater your negotiating power.

T stands for time, which refers to any impending events that place a deadline on either the buyer or the seller. If the buyer is under time pressure, it usually gives the salesperson negotiating strength.

In commercial real estate, for example, the expiration of an old lease may put time pressure on the tenant to find new office space. The time factor also affects many other purchases related to the move, such as hiring a contractor, selecting office furnishings and business equipment, and so on. A deadline creates time pressure and limits the buyer's opportunity to shop around.

If you are feeling time pressure, perhaps to close the sale by the end of a quota period, your buyer will have time power. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to win my company's annual incentive vacation - a trip to Bermuda. On the last day of the year, I needed a $2,000 sale to achieve my annual quota of $3 million. Needless to say, I felt time pressure! I made hefty concessions that day, but I won the trip.

"R" in NO TRICKS stands for relationship power. How strong is your relationship with your prospect? If you have a high quantity of high quality relationships with your customer you have relation-ship power. But some customers may not allow you to develop these relationships. They may tell you that you can only talk to purchasing. Obviously, in such a situation, you'll have a hard time developing relationship power.

"I" in NO TRICKS stands for investment. How much time and energy has been invested in the buying process? The more effort someone invests, the more committed he or she will be to reaching an agreement. The more energy your buyer puts into a buying process, the more negotiating power you'll have. Conversely, the buyer's power of investment is enhanced when you've put a lot of time and energy into a prospective sale. If you put 20 hours into preparing a proposal, you'll have a hard time walking away from the deal.

"C" stands for credibility. When I was selling dictating machines for Lanier Business Products, a salesperson in our Washington D.C. office sold a portable dictating machine directly to President Carter in the Oval Office. Subsequent photographs of the president showed his dictating machine on his desk. Having the president as a customer enhanced Lanier's credibility. If President Carter had chosen to use his credibility power to get a better price, he certainly could have done so. However, the president had a few other things on his mind than the three hundred dollar purchase price.

"K" in no tricks stands for knowledge. Knowledge is power. You have knowledge power when you thoroughly understand your customers' problems and needs and can foresee how the products or services you are offering will help them achieve those needs.

Conversely, if your customers know as much as you do, or perhaps more, about the application of a particular sales solution, they're less reliant on you. A few years ago, IBM reorganized its sales forced to emphasize industry-specific expertise so that their sales- people would become more knowledgeable about their customers' businesses. IBM has 14 industry sales teams dedicated to areas such as healthcare, travel, and financial services. IBM recognizes that salespeople are not adding value to the buy-sell relationship unless they know more than the buyers do.

Finally, the "S" in NO TRICKS stands for skill. Who is the most skillful negotiator?

Buyers are making more buying decisions today, and are getting better at it. Many buyers have attended seminars to improve their negotiating skills, which means they're gaining more skill power. Today, you must constantly improve your skills, just to keep up.

How to Get More Negotiating Power

N - power. For more Need power, uncover more important needs. Think of a prospect you're currently working with, and the problem they have that you can solve. If your prospect decides to do nothing, how much will it cost them? If the cost is significant, you have Need power. If it isn't, you don't. And if you don't know what it will cost them, you didn't uncover a need. Can you get back in there and find out
the answer?

For more Options power, you want to influence your prospect's buying criteria early in a sales process. Strive to make the strengths of your offering important to your buyer before the "shopping" phase.

Find out if Time is a factor in the negotiation.

For more Investment power, get your prospect more involved in the decision-making process. Instead of giving them a brochure of your product, take them to one of your installations and show it to them in action. The more energy your prospect invests, the more committed they'll be to reaching a decision - and the more investment power you'll have.

For more credibility power, get testimonial letters from your biggest customers. Ask your best customers what they have found unique about your product and the results they've achieved. You might be surprised with what they tell you!

For more knowledge power, ask more questions throughout the sales process so you learn more about your customers' needs. To test the validity of the information, have more than one source of information from inside your customer's business. Then, if a purchasing agent tries to pull the wool over your eyes with misinformation, you'll be ready.

For more skill power, become a student of negotiations. Ask the best negotiator you know how he or she does it. Buy a book or tape program. Attend a seminar. You too can be a great negotiator, but it won't happen by accident. In sales, when you sharpen your skills, you make more money.

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About the Author...
Kevin Davis is president of Kevin Davis Selling Systems LLC,
and provides sales and sales management training programs to corporations.