Tactic #2: Silence: In the negotiation process,
silence can be your strongest tool. If you don’t
like what your counterpart has said, or if you’ve
made an offer and you’re waiting for a response,
just sit back and wait. if you find yourself
negotiating with a person who understands the
importance of silence as well as you, Rather than
wasting time in silence, restate your offer. Don’t
make suggestions; just repeat your terms.
Tactic #5: The Red Herring: This
technique comes from fox hunting
competitions. At the bargaining table, a
red herring means one side brings up a
minor point to distract the other side
from the main issue. Effective and ethical
negotiators generally agree that this
tactic is the sleaziest of them all.
Tactic #6: The Trial Balloon: Trial balloons are
questions designed to assess your negotiating
counterpart’s position without giving any clues
about your plans. When you’re on the receiving
end of a trial balloon question, you may feel
compelled to answer it thoroughly.
Tactic #7: Low-Balling: Low-balling is the opposite
of the trial balloon. Instead of tempting you to
make the first offer, your counterpart will open
the process with a fantastic offer. Then after you
agree, they start hitting you with additional
necessities. To avoid falling victim to this tactic,
ask your counterpart about additional costs
before agreeing to any deal.
Tactic #8: The Bait-and-Switch: Similar to
low-balling, the bait-and-switch tactic should
be avoided. Your counterpart may try to
attract your interests with one great offer,
but then hook you with another mediocre
one. This tactic will almost always burn you,
unless you can recognize it.
Tactic #9: Outrageous Behavior: Outrageous
behavior can be categorized as any form of
socially unacceptable conduct intended to
force the other side to make a move, such as
throwing a fit of anger or bursting into tears.
The most effective response to outrageous
behavior is none at all. Just wait for the fit to
die down before reacting, because emotional
negotiations can result in disaster.
Tactic #10: The Written Word: When terms of a
deal are written out, they often seem
non-negotiable. The best defense against this
tactic is simply to question everything, whether
it appears in writing or not. You’ll inevitably run
into some standard, non-negotiable
documents, but it never hurts to ask questions.
Tactic #1: The Wince: The wince can be
explained as any overt negative reaction to
someone’s offer. This tactic tells your
counterpart that you know your limits,
which isn’t underhanded or dishonest. And
wincing at the right time can potentially
save you thousands of dollars. Keep in mind
that when deals are negotiable, your
counterpart will start high.
Tactic #3: The Good Guy/Bad Guy
Routine: This tactic is designed to get
you to make concessions without the
other side making any in return.If you
find yourself in a good guy/bad guy
situation, the best response is to ignore
it. The best technique is to let your
counterparts play their game, while
you watch out for your own interests.
Tactic #4: Limited Authority: This tactic
is a variation on the good guy/bad guy
routine, but instead of two people
working over you, the one person
you’re dealing with tells you that he or
she must approve any deals with an
unseen higher authority. Sometimes,
this higher authority exists, but other
times your counterpart will create this
figure to gain an edge in the
negotiation process.