COVID is over. Yay.

Virtual negotiation is here to stay. Let’s go over some virtual negotiation refreshers.

An early pandemic study of email, telephone, and face-to-face negotiation (published in Harvard Business Review) notes the following:

• No surprise, the best outcomes for both sides were reached face-to-face.
• On telephones, it was more win/loss, where one party ended up with a significantly better outcome.
• Email negotiation had the highest level of impasse (50% vs 19% face-to-face).

Given the poor choices of virtual negotiating by text, email, or phone, go with video conference.

If an “email can be misconstrued…it will be.” Be cautious with the written word absent verbal and physical cues. Emojis may actually help clarify tone when face-to-face interaction isn’t possible. 😊 A few more things to keep in mind…

• Once it’s in writing…you own it.
• These kinds of written responses leave little wiggle room as they encourage prompt and direct responses.
• An email will be forwarded.
• People share less information via email than face-to-face.
• “Haggling” vs. “reciprocity” is higher in email.
• Lies and omissions are easier (and more likely) in an email.

If you want to dive into CloseStrong’s proven approach to deal negotiation and sales training ROI, read Brian’s book B2B Street Fighting. You can get a free copy of Brian’s book when you register for a demo of CloseStrong – the hardest-working, smartest deal and negotiation coach you’ve ever experienced. CloseStrong will help you multiply the effectiveness of your sales management team, deliver higher-quality deals, reduce discounts, improve pipeline quality, and increase forecast accuracy.