Bargaining Behavior in a Buyer-Seller Dyad

Sales negotiations require communication that can be explicit or tacit, in which the salesman and buyer interpret each other's behavior. Studies of this interaction process have shown that customers' and salesmen's values 9, expectations 15, and communication expertise 1 affect the relationship. For example, the more alike the salesman and his prospect (demographically, physically, etc.), the greater the likelihood of a sale 6, 7. But actual similarity may not be as powerful a predictor of behavior as perceived similarity 2, 3, 8, 14. One study suggests that people talk to and are influenced by persons who are more or less like themselves 6, so a salesman should be a more influential persuader if he is perceived as sharing characteristics with the buyer. Their common background would provide them with a stockpile of shared signs and symbols with which to communicate.