CSE Communication & Negotiation Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which body language signal most often indicates a prospect is disengaged during an in-person presentation?
- Leaning forward with eye contact
- Arms crossed and gaze directed away from the presenter (Correct answer)
- Nodding while taking notes
- Asking detailed follow-up questions
Correct answer: Arms crossed and gaze directed away from the presenter
Crossed arms and averted gaze are classic nonverbal signs of disengagement or defensiveness.
Question 2: In principled negotiation (Fisher & Ury), 'separating people from the problem' means:
- Excluding key stakeholders from the negotiation room
- Addressing business issues objectively without attacking personalities (Correct answer)
- Delegating negotiations to a third party
- Removing emotional topics from the agenda
Correct answer: Addressing business issues objectively without attacking personalities
Principled negotiation focuses on interests and issues, not personal attacks, to preserve the relationship while solving the problem.
Question 3: A sales engineer uses silence strategically after presenting the price. This technique is most effective because:
- It signals disinterest in the deal
- It pressures the prospect to fill the void, often revealing concerns or acceptance (Correct answer)
- It gives the sales engineer time to recalculate discounts
- It shows the engineer lacks confidence in the price
Correct answer: It pressures the prospect to fill the void, often revealing concerns or acceptance
Strategic silence after a price quote creates psychological pressure that often compels the prospect to respond with valuable information.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes a 'concession strategy' in negotiation?
- Giving everything the prospect asks for to close quickly
- Making pre-planned, diminishing concessions to signal you are reaching your limit (Correct answer)
- Refusing all concessions to maintain margin
- Alternating large and small concessions randomly
Correct answer: Making pre-planned, diminishing concessions to signal you are reaching your limit
Diminishing concessions signal that each give is harder than the last, anchoring expectations near your real floor.
Question 5: When writing a follow-up email after a sales call, which element is most important to include?
- A full transcript of the meeting
- A summary of agreed next steps with owners and due dates (Correct answer)
- A new set of product slides not shown in the meeting
- A request for an immediate contract signature
Correct answer: A summary of agreed next steps with owners and due dates
Agreed next steps with owners and dates keep momentum alive and create mutual accountability after the call.
Question 6: The SPIN selling framework's 'Implication' questions are designed to:
- Ask about the prospect's current vendor relationship
- Amplify the pain of the problem so its cost becomes salient (Correct answer)
- Propose your solution's unique features
- Close the deal by assuming the sale
Correct answer: Amplify the pain of the problem so its cost becomes salient
Implication questions help the prospect feel the full impact of an unsolved problem, increasing urgency to act.
Question 7: A prospect's champion inside the organization goes silent after a positive initial meeting. The most appropriate next step is to:
- Assume the deal is dead and move on
- Send a mass email to all stakeholders bypassing the champion
- Reach out directly to ask if priorities have changed and offer to help (Correct answer)
- Lower the price significantly to reignite interest
Correct answer: Reach out directly to ask if priorities have changed and offer to help
Directly checking in respects the relationship, surfaces real obstacles, and keeps the deal progressing.
CSE Communication & Negotiation Skills 4
Which body language signal most often indicates a prospect is disengaged during an in-person presentation?