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Gain Information
The first purpose
for questioning is to gain information.
Obtaining information is the most obvious reason for asking
questions. You try to fill in gaps where you lack
information. When you do not have all the answers, or
when you are not sure whether you have the right answers,
ask. Don't assume anything when you are negotiating.
Some negotiators
believe you should not ask anything of your counterpart
unless you already know the answer. We do not subscribe to
this philosophy. We often ask questions because
we do not know the answer! However, there is a time
when you should not ask a question to acquire information:
If the stakes are really high and negative information could
be devastating to your side, don't ask, since you may not be
prepared to live with the answer. For example, when
Christopher Darden and Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutors in
the O.J. Simpson murder trial, asked O.J. Simpson to try on
the leather glove that was reportedly found behind his
house, the whole world found out that the leather glove did
not fit. It quickly became apparent that the
prosecutors should not have asked that question!
As another example,
if you are trading in an old car to buy a new one and you
don't feel the dealer is offering you a fair trade-in value,
you might not want to ask, "What does the Kelley Blue Book
say this car is worth?" if you have not checked the price
yourself. (This scenario also highlights the importance of
acquiring all the pertinent information prior to entering a
negotiation. Once you are at a car lot, the dealer is
most likely going to present only the information that is
favorable to his position.)
Clarify or Verify
Information
When your
counterpart provides you with information, it is important
to clarify and verify that information. Clarifying
questions are usually aimed at answering who, what when ,
where, why, or how. Questions like "How have you
handled the delivery in the past?" or "You will be
delivering this product at no charge, won't you?" help
clarify and verify deal points that, if not addressed, could
leave you at a disadvantage.
Check
Understanding and Level of Interest
How much is your
counterpart interested in the outcome of the negotiation?
You may want to evaluate his level of commitment to specific
deal points, for example, by asking if he would be willing
to take a specified amount less than his asking price.
Or you may wish to uncover how technically sound your
counterpart's knowledge of the topic is. For instance,
if you were a mortgage broker and you wanted to check your
counterpart's level of understanding, you might ask, "At
this LTV, we will need to include PMI. Is that going
to be a concern for you?" This question addresses both
knowledge of the mortgage banking business and the
customer's level of commitment to the new deal point.
Determine
Behavioral Style
What type of person
is your counterpart? Where is she coming from?
Is she an experienced negotiator? An honest person?
Decisive? Thorough? Questions that reveal this
kind of information will influence how you negotiate.
For example, you might say to your counterpart, "I have a
fifty-page document that supports the merit of our position.
Would you like to read all fifty pages or would you prefer
to look at the two-page summary?" Different people
require different strategies.
Gain
Participation
Any time you ask
your counterpart a question and let him talk, you gain a
twofold benefit: First, your counterpart will like you
better. Second, you will learn more about your
counterpart than he will learn about you. It is
especially important to get your counterpart to talk
whenever you've said something he didn't agree with or
understand, since letting him talk will have a calming
effect. Also, you will be supplied with more
information about your counterpart's needs.
One of the most
difficult people to negotiate with is the counterpart who
sits there, stares at you as you do all the talking, and
answers every question with a simple "yes" or "no."
With this individual, you will find it in your best interest
to talk a lot less and ask more open-ended questions.
For example, you might say, "You have not said much about
why you are looking at this particular computer software.
Why do you feel this model would work best for you and your
business?" Or "What features are most important to
you?" Or "How do you plan to use the software once it is
installed?"
Give Information
You many want to
give your counterpart information that will help her better
understand your needs and goals. For example, you
might ask: "Did you know that the Kelley Blue Book value of
your car is only eighty-one hundred dollars?" This
type of question can also be used as a test to see whether
your counterpart recognizes if your information is correct.
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