Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

USING “THAT’S RIGHT” TO MAKE THE SALE
Getting to “that’s right” helped one of my students in her
job as a sales representative for a large pharmaceutical
company.
She was trying to sell a new product to a doctor who
used similar medication. He was the largest user of this kind
of medication in her territory. The sale was critical to her
success.
In her first appointments, the doctor dismissed her
product. He said it was no better than the ones he was
already using. He was unfriendly. He didn’t even want to
hear her viewpoint. When she presented the positive
attributes of her product, he interrupted her and knocked
them down.

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Making the sales pitch, she soaked up as much as
possible about the doctor. She learned that he was
passionate about treating his patients. Each patient was
special in his eyes. Improving their sense of calm and peace
was the most important outcome for him. How could she put
her understanding of his needs, desires, and passions to
work for her?
At her next visit, the doctor asked what medications she
wanted to discuss. Rather than tout the benefits of her
product, she talked about him and his practice.
“Doctor,” she said, “the last time I was in we spoke
about your patients with this condition. I remember thinking
that you seemed very passionate about treating them, and
how you worked hard to tailor the specific treatment to each
and every patient.”
He looked her in the eyes as if he were seeing her for the
first time.
“That’s right,” he said. “I really feel like I’m treating an
epidemic that other doctors are not picking up on—which
means that a lot of patients are not getting treated
adequately.”
She told him he seemed to have a deep understanding of
how to treat these patients, especially because some of them
didn’t respond to the usual medications. They talked about
specific challenges he had confronted in treating his
patients. He gave her examples.
When he was finished, she summarized what he had
said, especially the intricacies and problems in treatment.

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“You seem to tailor specific treatments and medications
for each patient,” she said.
“That’s right,” he responded.
This was the breakthrough she had hoped to reach. The
doctor had been skeptical and cold. But when she
recognized his passion for his patients—using a summary—
the walls came down. He dropped his guard, and she was
able to gain his trust. Rather than pitch her product, she let
him describe his treatment and procedures. With this, she
learned how her medication would fit into his practice. She
then paraphrased what he said about the challenges of his
practice and reflected them back to him.
Once the doctor signaled his trust and rapport, she could
tout the attributes of her product and describe precisely how
it would help him reach the outcomes he desired for his
patients. He listened intently.
“It might be perfect for treating a patient who has not
benefited from the medication I have been prescribing,” he
told her. “Let me give yours a try.”
She made the sale.