You can greatly improve your odds of completing the deal by employing an art often neglected by sales pros: writing. Before and after every phone call or in-person meeting during the negotiating process, hit the keyboard and send a brief, informative e-mail that clarifies and advances the discussion.

E-mail is, of course, no substitute for face-to-face interaction at this or any stage of the sales process, as it doesn’t help you gauge the critical nuances of verbal inflection and body language.

But a series of smartly written messages during negotiations can serve as markers for what’s been agreed to and what’s still on the table. More important, it can solidify your bargaining position in a number of subtle yet effective ways.

Here are a few tips on how to use e-mail to your advantage during negotiations:

• Stay on topic. Don’t rehash your entire pitch at every stage of negotiations—the prospect doesn’t have time for this. Start the message with a focused point, and back it up with one or two specific supporting points (e.g., “We can offer an additional 10% discount for a commitment of 300 units per month. This would result in a savings of $9,000 per month and give you access to 24-hour on-site service…”).
• Keep it moving. Avoid giving the prospect an opportunity to shut down the conversation. Ask open-ended questions designed to draw out a meaningful response, not a simple yes or no (e.g., “Based on the widget needs you’ve outlined in our discussions, how does this latest proposal fit in with your expectations?).
• Stay calm. If negotiations start to get heated, don’t use e-mail as the medium in which to vent your frustrations. Remember that once you’ve hit Send, anything you’ve written can and will be used against you. Because e-mail is a “flat” medium in which the recipient often has no idea whether you’re joking or fuming, you’re better off sticking to a positive message (e.g., “I can appreciate your concern about pricing. With XYZ widgets, you’ll be getting a durable product that actually reduces overall operating costs…”).
• Stick to the benefits. You can disarm the other party by always presenting your case in the context of the prospect’s needs. It’s not about what you’re offering—it’s about the prospect and the benefits he or she can achieve. This is particularly effective when you bring out the core emotional benefit (e.g., “We can certainly look at extending the added value program if you’re willing to upgrade to our highly efficient D5000 model. With the D5000 you’ll be working smarter and spending less time at the office—freeing up time for that big family vacation you said you’d like to take.”).
• Be flexible. If you’ve hit a dead end in your discussions, use your e-mail messages to bring up alternative solutions that better fit the prospect’s needs (e.g., “I understand that the new model is beyond your budget range. If we went with the certified, refurbished model at $2,000 per unit, how might that affect your pricing concerns?”).

When you communicate your negotiating position clearly in writing, you establish the framework of the discussion, and you set the stage for more productive phone calls or face-to-face meetings. Each e-mail message should serve as a guiding document on the way towards a successful deal.

1. Don’t do the bulk of your business prospecting during prime business hours. Often the call that is placed at 8AM or 6PM will be received by a decision-maker that has more time to talk. And don’t under-estimate the value of leaving voice mail messages at night. These will be the very first messages that your prospect will hear in the morning, thereby increasing the odds of them placing a returned call.
2. If you want to present products and services that are of value to the prospect and that meet their needs, you have to ASK questions. Ask the right questions and the prospect will tell you what they want and how they need to be sold.
3. Too many sales reps launch into a conversation by discussing the features of their products and services. Features never sold anyone. The only thing that a prospect cares about is what these features will do for them. In other words, speak in terms of benefits and your prospect will be more pre-disposed to listening to your presentation.
4. There’s no magic bullet. Prospecting takes time and if your sales pipeline isn’t always filled with prospects in various stages of being worked, then you are in for a future sales slump.
5. Don’t underestimate the power of faxes. In these days of email, faxes have taken a back seat. Because of that, faxes get noticed. Carefully position faxes as part of your prospecting efforts.
6. Follow-up and follow-through are keys to prospecting success. Just like gardening, if you don’t water the seeds, the garden will languish. And so it is with prospecting… if you don’t remain in contact, you will never break through.
7. Give a prospect something for nothing. An article that would be of interest and value, information that you received online etc. and transferred to the prospect with a note “just thought you might be interested in this” indicates that you are thinking of them and wish to be a resource.
8. Periodically tape-record a random sampling of your cold calls. Listen to the tape and assess your tone and voice. How did you sound? Would you want to speak with a person who sounds like you? What about your words? Were they clear and benefits oriented. Taping gives you the opportunity to self-correct your presentation.
9. Pace yourself. Prospecting is a very time-consuming and arduous task. Allocate a specific amount of time each day (week?) and keep to the schedule. It is always easy to put something ahead of the prospecting activity but make an appointment with yourself and don’t break it.
10. Last but definitely not least, maintain a good sense of humor. Make the prospect smile and you’re halfway there!