The Mental Side Of Closing A Negotiation

What goes on in the other sides brain determines if the negotiation will close
What goes on in the other sides brain determines if the negotiation will close
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Have you ever heard the phrase “it’s not over until it’s over”? I’m not sure where this phrase comes from, but it sure could be applied to a number of the negotiations that I’ve been involved in. These never-ending negotiations never seemed to want to close. What’s a negotiator to do?

5 Ways To Get The Other Side To End A Negotiation

Let’s face it, the other side of the table really does want to wrap up the current negotiations no matter what negotiation styles or negotiating techniques they’ve been using – it just might be that they don’t know how to make it happen. This is where you need to step in and help them out by showing them the way to reach a close for the negotiations. Here are 5 different ways to go about doing this:

  • 2 Choices: Make an offer to the other side of the table that they can’t refuse. Provide them with two different acceptable choices. By doing this you’ll change the discussion from one where they are pushing back on what you are offering and will now start to focus on picking which choice best meets their needs.
  • Offer A Bad Choice: This technique requires you to present the other side with 3 different choices. One of the choices is clearly a bad deal for them. This will make the other two options appear to be all that much better and will motivate the other side of the table to choose between them.
  • Better Than Expected: When you are within striking distance of the making the final offer to the other side, strike first by presenting them with an offer that is just a bit better than they were expecting. They will be surprised and more often than not they’ll accept it quickly before you have a chance to change your mind!
  • Limited Time: Present the other side with a special benefit that has a time limit associated with it – it will be going away soon. The important thing for you to remember is that you need to present a credible reason for why the deal is only going to be available for a limited time.
  • Bargain!: Something magical happens in all of us when we see a deal like this – we almost have to go for it. If you take the time to craft an offer that will appear as a real bargain to the other side of the table, then more often than not they’ll move quickly to accept it before you have a chance to change your mind!

What All Of This Means For You

The purpose of any principled negotiation is to reach a mutually agreeable deal with the other side of the table. In order for this to happen, the negotiations need to conclude and that can be harder to make happen than it looks.

In order to convince the other side of the table to wrap things up, a negotiator needs to know what techniques can be used to move things along. Techniques such as offering the other side choices, sweeting the deal, timed benefits, and bargains can all help the other side to make up their mind and move to close the negotiations.

Just concluding the negotiations does not necessarily mean that you are going to walk away with a deal. However, it is an important step in getting to where you want to be. Use these techniques to better control your next negotiation.

– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World Negotiating Skills™

Question For You: What kind of time frame do you think that you should associate with any bargain that you offer to the other side?

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What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time

Have you ever heard the phrase “it’s not over until it’s over”? The person who said this was clearly talking about a negotiation because experienced negotiators know that a negotiation is never over until they say that it’s over.