Myra's Helpful Phrases for Negotiating with Customers

1.  "We see this differently, and I am going to have to put more thought into the perspective you have shared with me. It's helpful for me to understand how you see things. In the meantime, here is what I can do to solve the immediate problem."
2. * "It is our company policy that we cannot pay a claim that involves consumer error. We have a responsibility to the company to uphold the integrity of our products. When a product performs as expected and has no deficiencies, we cannot take responsibility and accordingly can offer no financial assistance."
3. "I am hearing you say you want $500 in pain and suffering. Please tell me how you arrived at that figure?"
4. "That sounds a little high."  Note: No matter what dollar amount the customer puts on the table, just state those five words and then shut your mouth. Since most people become increasingly uncomfortable with silence, your tight lips will force the customer to say something in response. Either he or she will make a more reasonable request, or they will attempt to justify their request.
5. "This is fair and reasonable because.."
6. "I'm willing to _________ because____"
7. "As a concrete form of apology, please accept this coupon for 10% off of your next purchase with us."
8. * "We appreciate hearing about your experience, but we cannot compensate you in this matter because you failed to follow instructions/did not read instructions/misused the product."
9. "I understand your concern. What do you think would be fair?"
10.  "Although you might not agree with my decision, I'd like to explain it so you can at least understand."
11.  "Let me do some investigating on my end and call you back. I'll call you no later than tomorrow afternoon with a response."
12. "I've/We've given this a great deal of thought, and it's the best I/we can do. Any more and it's not worth it for me to do the deal./Any more and this simply won't make good business sense."
13.  "Mr. Warren, we want to get to the bottom of this just as much as you do."