A Compelling Story Can Disarm Even a Skeptical Negotiator
New research shows that B2B negotiators become more trusting and willing to make concessions after hearing a compelling story — whether or not it’s true.
Leopold Ried and Lutz KaufmannAugust 31, 2026Reading Time: 1 min
Topics
Radar
Brief insights on emerging trends in management from the opening pages of MIT Sloan Management Review’s quarterly print magazine.
Summary:
Research on B2B sales professionals found that when a buyer told them a story, negotiators were 17% more willing to agree to concessions ...
Listen to “A Compelling Story Can Disarm Even a Skeptical Negotiator” (02:49)
Human beings are not good at separating fact from fiction. But surely hard-nosed B2B professionals are different? Our research suggests otherwise.
In two experiments with 622 B2B sales professionals, we gave participants a negotiation scenario in which a buyer either lied or told the truth. We then gave...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to mit.edu. To see the full text click HERE
