The Master Negotiator
Always Counter the First Offer in a Negotiation
One of the most frequent questions I am asked is, “Should I counter or should I accept the first offer?” This is usually followed by, “I don’t want to jinx my deal by countering when…
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Negotiation Tactic #17 – Sweetening the Deal
Summary: Adding an extra or add-on to make a deal work. At times you may need to add a little something extra to make a deal work. For example, a salesperson may decrease the price…
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Leadership Lessons from Great Teachers
Need Leadership Inspiration? Borrow from Your Favorite Teachers Think back to your school days. Who were your favorite teachers? Most likely, they were not the teachers who taught straight out of the book, reading word-for-word….
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Negotiation Tactic #16 – The Ultimatum
Summary: Making a final, specific demand to force a counterpart to make a decision. From time to time it may be in your best interest to “draw a line in the sand,” or create a…
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Negotiation Tactic #15 – Trade-Off Concession
Summary: Getting something in return for everything that is given up. A good rule to remember in negotiation is to get something in return every time you give up something. Example A home buyer states,…
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Negotiation Tactic #14 – Facts and Statistics
Summary: Using statistics to support an offer or a point of view. Anytime you can incorporate Facts and Statistics into your presentation, you have a tool that your counterpart will find difficult to handle. Reliable…
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Empathy in Negotiation
Former President Bill Clinton famously told us, “I feel your pain.” I am unsure if he truly had empathy for those who were listening and if he really felt our pain, but I do know…
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Negotiation Tactic #13 – That’s Not Good Enough
Summary: Saying that the last offer is unsatisfactory in order to get a counterpart to make a better offer. The idea behind this tactic is very simple. When someone makes you an offer you think…
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Negotiation Tactic #12 – Good Guy/Bad Guy
Summary: Pretending to be on a counterpart’s side while consulting another party who keeps vetoing deal points. The Good Guy/Bad Guy technique is very similar to the tactic of the Higher Authority but is much…
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Negotiation Tactic #11 – Higher Authority
Summary: Consulting someone else before accepting an offer. The tactic of Higher Authority can work for either counterpart in a negotiation. Sometimes you cannot get a situation resolved by working with the counterpart assigned to…
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