Put It in Writing

If you put your proposal or idea in writing, people will find it to be more believable. A proposal or idea, when presented in a written document, demonstrates to the other party that you have carefully weighed the options and have come to a decision. They sense that you did your homework and they respect that.

Conversely, if your proposal or idea is only a verbal suggestion, people will value it less. It is less believable and is easily challenged. Think of the last time you negotiated with someone and they made you a verbal offer. I bet you weren’t 100% confident that they would come through until you saw it in writing. After you got the written confirmation, you gave a great sigh of relief. Whew!

You can use the power of the written word to your advantage in negotiation. When selling to a customer, always put your pricing and your terms in writing. When the details of your proposal are in writing, not only are they more believable, you will find that they are less likely to be challenged.

For example, have you ever seen an advertisement for a car that lists a price and then says the pricing is “firm” or “for serious buyers only?” By taking this stance, the seller states that they are not willing to negotiate and that they are confident about the fairness of the price. Although this may scare away some potential hagglers, the ones that step forward will be less likely to counter the price.

When you are not confident about your offer, putting it in writing may help you appear confident. The sheer appearance of confidence could preempt an aggressive negotiator from challenging you and your proposal.

You might want to consider using an objective criteria as a frame of reference. For example, you could compare your proposal to an industry standard or reference; this could help validate your offer. Testimonials or third party quotations can also add substance to your proposal.

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John Bradley Jackson

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