In my interview with negotiation expert Jim Camp, I was shocked when he stated that the top closing questions I had learned in my first sales book, Zig Ziglar’s “Closing Secrets,” were not effective in negotiation. Some examples of these questions are “Don’t you think this is the best thing you’ve ever seen? Don’t you think this would really make you happy? Isn’t this something you think you should do? Isn’t it?” does this excite you?

So why don’t these questions work in negotiations? It’s too easy for the other side to say no, so where are you? You end up stuttering and stumbling over yourself because you’ve been caught off guard.

But don’t people often say yes to these questions? Sure, but what is his motivation. Does he really agree or does he not want to hurt your feelings by saying no? They are trying to avoid the conflict of having to say no to someone. But, that only creates resentment in their minds for being put in the spot.

Instead of verb-driven questions, Jim Camp suggests using interrogative questions that can only result in a detailed answer from the other person.

For example, instead of asking “Aren’t you excited about this?” try asking “What would you be excited about in a product like this?”

Instead of asking “Isn’t this something you should do?” try asking “What do you think you should do?”

The answers you get to these questions will be much more indicative of the way the negotiation should continue. Instead of getting a forced “yes”, you now have real information to work with.

The goal of your questioning should be to create a vision in the other person’s mind. Ideally, you want to create a vision that includes your product or service.

Your prospects’ decision will be based on their vision of the problem. By asking the right questions, you’ll be forming in your mind a vision of a suitable outcome, while at the same time being able to see if what you have to offer fits.

You may end up finding that your vision is not quite in line with what you can help. In that case, it is your responsibility to be honest about it and end the negotiation or suggest an alternative solution.

However, if you see that what you can offer will help, you should follow up with questions that allow the person to see where your offer fits into their vision. Once you do this, you will have become a master negotiator. How will you apply this in your business?