03.Understanding the other side
- Probing
- Clarifying
- Empathizing
1. Probing
Ray: We’re prepared to pay $5.5 million.
Rick: That’s a good starting point. So, how did you come to this figure?
Ray: Well, we researched several suppliers and felt that this was a fair offer.
Rick: May I ask which suppliers you researched?
Ray: Well, we have the list here.
Rick: Did you ask about delivery schedules?
Ray: Yes, we looked at …
Place the expressions in the appropriate category.
| a. How did it happen? b. Do you expect payment in advance? c. Is that right? d. When would you like it? | e. What did you think of it? f. Is it this Monday? g. What steps should we take? h. Do you prefer this one or that one? |
| Open-ended questions | Closed questions |
|---|---|
Ask open-ended and closed questions.
- About someone’s job
- About someone’s childhood
- Think of your own situation
2. Clarifying
So, you think that …?
So, what you’re saying is …?
Is that what you mean?
Is that correct?
Clarify the meaning.
- I can’t stand my boss. When he gives me new projects, he never explains anything.
- The price is too high. We’re not going to pay that much.
- James never finishes his work on time. When he misses a deadline, it affects my job.
Discussion
What type of communication problems do you have in your company?
3. Empathizing
One way to get the other side to speak openly is to show empathy. Let them know that you understand how they feel by showing understanding and following up
Track 5
Script
Clara: So Larry. Do we have a deal?
Larry: Well, I still have a couple of issues.
Clara: OK, I’m listening.
Larry: You said the minimum order is 500 units. I feel that could be some risk to us.
Clara: I know exactly what you mean. Holding too much stock could become more expensive for you.
Larry: Yes, that’s right. Also, one week for delivery is a little long for us.
Clara: I understand how you feel. You might need our parts immediately if you get a sudden order from a customer.
Larry: Yes, and we can’t take that risk.
Clara: That makes complete sense. We had the same concern from another customer. So, we now always have extra stock for situations like this. We have 10,000 units that can be delivered immediately.
Larry: Great. That’s what I wanted to hear.
和訳
クララ：それで、ラリー。取引は成立する？
ラリー：うーん、まだいくつか気になる点があるんだ。
クララ：わかった、聞いてるよ。
ラリー：最低注文数は 500 個だと言っていたよね。それだと、僕たちにとってリスクになる気がするんだ。
クララ：その気持ち、よくわかるわ。在庫を多く抱えすぎると、あなたたちにとってコストがかさむかもしれないからね。
ラリー：ええ、その通りです。それに、納期が 1 週間というのは、私たちにとっては少し長すぎます。
クララ：お気持ちはよくわかります。お客様から急な注文が入った場合、すぐに部品が必要になるかもしれませんからね。
ラリー：ええ、そのリスクは負えません。
クララ：まったくその通りですね。別の顧客からも同じような懸念を寄せられたことがあります。そこで、現在はこのような事態に備えて常に予備の在庫を確保しています。すぐに納品できる在庫が 10,000 個あります。
ラリー：素晴らしい。まさに聞きたかった話です。
| Understanding | Following up | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 |
Reply with emphathy.
- The trains are always so crowded.
- Business is getting a lot worse.
- Think of your own situatio.
4. Putting it all together
Role A: employee
Your boss wants to give you a new project, but you are too busy with your current workload. You work ten hours of overtime every week and have too little time with your family. You think your boss doesn’t care about you or your family. Negotiate with your boss.
Role B: boss
You want to give your best employee a new project. She is very busy, but you feel that this is an excellent opportunity for her as she would have a chance to work with headquarters. You think she will be very happy to take this project. Negotiate with your employee.
Good negotiators are good listeners and good communicators. They take the time to understand the other side.
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