How do I control the conversation when a seller wants me to give them a price?

[Larry Turowski]

Michael Q said on a recent podcast that he never give the seller a price.  He controls the conversation and makes (guides) the seller into giving and lowering the price.

I can't seem to make that happen.

I had a seller who was relocating and needed to sell his home in order to close on his new house in 5 weeks. He gave me a price of $84, the assessed value and likely a little above FMV. I tried the "$84K? Hmmm....is that the best you can do?" He said he was negotiable. When I asked what he could do he asked me to come out and see it and tell me what I thought. I said I need to know that we are in the same ballpark before coming out and again tried to get him to give me a price, but he kept saying, you tell me.

I felt like I was trying too hard to control the conversation and it became adversarial.  

I finally told him it would likely need to be in the high 50s.  And he  said it would need to be at least $80.

Okay, so maybe it wouldn't have been a deal  regardless, but how do I do a better job of controlling the conversation when the seller keeps putting it back in my court?   How do I overcome, "Just come out and look at it," or "What can you offer me?"  This happens to me a lot.