When “Yes” Means “No” And What To Do About It

What is the goal of any negotiation? The negotiation definition says that the ultimate goal is simply to reach a deal with the other side. Ah ha! Now this is where things start to really get interesting – after you’ve sorted through all of the negotiation styles and negotiating techniques that both sides have used, … Read more

Invite A Good Cop / Bad Cop To Your Next Negotiation

How does the other side of the table see you during a negotiation? Do you come across as being a nice guy? How’s that going for you – are your negotiations turning out the way that you want them to, or are the negotiation styles and negotiating techniques that you’ve been used resulting in negotiations … Read more

All Sales Negotiators Need To Know That Numbers Lie

There is something almost magical about hard numbers: we all seem to assume that they are correct when we are presented with them during negotiations. However, I want you to think back to when you were in school and you were working on your math homework. Did you always come up with the right answer … Read more

Why Fait Accompli Spells Bad News For Negotiators

When you enter into negotiations with somebody, the thought is that neither side is going to take action until the negotiations reach some sort of conclusion. We expect the other side to use all sorts of different negotiation styles and negotiating techniques during the discussions. However, sometimes either the other side or you do something … Read more

I’ve Met The Negotiating Devil And He Lives In the Details

You can trust the other side of the table when you are negotiating with them, right? I mean sure, we’ll all try to get a leg up during the negotiations and use as many negotiation styles and negotiating techniques as we possibly can in order to get the best deal, but once the negotiation process … Read more

How Negotiators Should Deal With Dirty Tricks: Escalation

Just how badly are you going to want to reach a deal during your next negotiation? Be very careful how you answer that question! It turns out that the other side may be able to maneuver you into a position where you’ll be willing to accept a deal that you really shouldn’t. “I’d never do … Read more

Why Crying Works In A Sales Negotiation

During sales negotiations, how do you try to appear to the other side of the table? Tough? Impartial? Unmoved? All of these terms describe how we traditionally view a negotiator. However, it turns out that sometimes the other side of the table uses a type of emotional intimidation as one of their negotiation styles or … Read more

The Role That Physical Intimidation Plays In Negotiations

During a negotiation, you’d hope that we’d all be adults about it. Right? Well it doesn’t always turn out that way. Using either physical or environmental means to intimidate the other side is a negotiation styles or negotiating techniques that the other side of the table may use as a common negotiating technique. You need … Read more

Why Taking Hostages During A Negotiation Is Never A Good Idea

We’ve all see what the image looks like on TV: the bad guys break-in somewhere, things go wrong, and all of a sudden they take hostages. This is never a good thing and it can very quickly go very wrong. The same thing can happen during your next business negotiation – the other side of … Read more

What Role Status Symbols Play In Negotiations

When it comes to sitting around the negotiating table, we’re all equal, right? In a perfect world, the answer would be yes. We don’t live in a perfect world and so the answer is a very solid “no”. So what does this mean for us – do some negotiators deserve to get more? Where Negotiating … Read more