Negotiations are like a game with its own rules.
In this second part on negotiation tactics, we will examine some unconventional tactics used in negotiations and how you can deal with them.
In negotiations, there are a number of things that people may do in order to intimidate you, or to make them seem more powerful than you are. While understanding and working with the power balance is vitally important to negotiation success, some people interpret this to mean bullying the other person into submission! It is important to know of these tactics so that you can defend against them. In addition, in one–off negotiations you may wish to use one or more of these tactics. They can be very effective, particularly with inexperienced negotiators. If you do decide to use some of the tactics that follow then please ensure you have considered the possible consequences taking into account the ethics and moral code of our highly esteemed association.
There are a number of tactics that make use of someone other than the person you are negotiating with to force or “encourage” you to agree to some form of concession. These are:
“Good Cop/Bad Cop”
Anyone who has watched enough police shows on television will have seen the interrogation tactic where one cop is nasty and one cop is nice. One cop shouts and threatens the suspect while the other befriends him and is nice to him. Although this tactic is widely known it can still be a very effective way to manipulate someone’s behaviour.
The best way to defend yourself from this tactic is to firstly understand it, secondly to become aware that despite knowing about it you may still be manipulated by it, and thirdly, you may wish to even say (perhaps in a humorous sort of way) “Hey, what is this? Good cop, bad cop?” This will help to diffuse the tension involved and make the other party aware that you have realized their game.
“My Boss Is A Bastard!”
The implication is that you will get a better deal if you agree to what they are asking for. If their boss gets involved then it is going to get even worse. In addition the implication is that they are trying to help you and that you ought to be grateful for their assistance!
The counter to this is to firstly, inform the other person that you too have a real bastard of a boss (if you don’t have a boss then you may wish to use another person – a business partner perhaps) and secondly, to be fully prepared to negotiate with the boss.
“I Need To Get This Approved By My Boss”
You are required to kindly let them have your full proposal so that they can take it to their boss. This reduces your ability to trade concessions and secure a robust deal. This tactic makes the concessions rather one sided in the other party’s favour!
The counter is to insist upon negotiating with the boss directly. If they cannot confirm the value that they will give in return for any concession that you may be prepared to make then you cannot proceed with the negotiation.
“The time factor”
You will recall that time can be a factor that affects the power balance in negotiations. The person with the most time generally has the power balance tipped in their favour. If you desperately need to have a deal concluded to hit your yearend sales targets, then you are far more likely to make generous concessions than if you had another nine months to hit your sales targets.
In addition, the less time you have to think and plan and prepare the weaker you will be in the negotiation. For this reason, watch out for people who insist that they need to know immediately, or by the following day. They are using the time factor to try to force you into making the concessions they need.
“The Salami Slicer”
When you buy salami from the supermarket the meat is sliced in very thin slices. In a negotiation the other party may attempt to “salami” you by securing a series of what seem to be minor concessions on your part. It is only when the salami slice concessions are viewed in total that you realize just how much you have given away! You can counter the salami by using the “If you…Then I” principle with every attempt at taking a slice.
“The Nibble”
The nibble tactic is used when the negotiation appears to have been concluded. You have shaken hands and you think it’s all over. You relax and sit back in you chair. In what appears to be an afterthought, perhaps even as you are walking out of the meeting, the other party casually states, “That includes the free warranty, right?” Caught off guard many people will end up agreeing to a minor concession.
The counter to the nibble is to politely refuse and to state that you thought the negotiation has concluded and that if the other party wants the free warranty (or whatever) that you will need to revisit the agreement
“Cherry Picking”
This is a tactic where the other party chooses the elements of your proposal that they do like, and rejects the elements that they don’t like. They are cherry picking just the elements that they want. For the deal to work for you, you may need all of the elements included in your proposal. Make sure your positioning is clear – nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.
“I’m Your Friend”
It is not unknown for someone to encourage you to make a concession by using emotional blackmail. They will use their “friendship” with you to leverage a concession that you would not usually make. Even when I do business with friends – business is business! I wouldn’t expect any friend of mine to give me a deal that was not beneficial to them also. I draw a distinction between my friends and being friendly with people that I do business with.
“The False Concession”
This tactic works by getting you to make a concession because you cannot meet a demand from the other party. However, the demand is a work of fiction and its sole purpose is for it to be used to get a concession from the other party. For example, if someone knows that it takes you a week to prepare the financial statements of a company then they may demand next day preparation and delivery. To compensate for your lack of ability to deliver tomorrow you might be tempted to concede on the fee of the service concerned. The other party knows that you can’t possibly deliver tomorrow and indeed don’t expect or need you to do so. They are only demanding the next day delivery to force a concession from you.
True power is in the mind and if you have planned and prepared correctly you will be less affected by attempts such as the ones described in this article. Do not make the mistake of thinking that these techniques aren’t effective. Sometimes they can be very effective. The best way to protect yourself from them is to understand them and then recognize them. This will diminish or even neutralize their effect upon you.