homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

Opinion


print  email to a friend  reprints add to mydjc  
Clive Shearer
Management
by Design
By Clive Shearer

March 8, 2000

Negotiation tactics

By CLIVE SHEARER
Special to the Journal

Last year, I covered negotiation preparations. This month we examine a few negotiation tactics.

Make time your partner

Slowing down a negotiation can have many benefits. Sometimes people become emotional, jump to conclusions or are so keen to talk that they don't really hear what is being said. In these cases, slowing down makes common sense. Rushing a negotiation can also be annoying. Participants may feel that you are not listening or that you are trying to hide something. Find a balance between speed and involvement to foster communication and understanding.

However, there are exceptions to these guidelines. It might be advisable to take your time when you have little leverage. Make progress, but make it slowly, letting the opposition invest time in you, letting the clock tick closer to the other party's deadline and allowing them to eventually feel the urgency to conclude the negotiation.

On the other hand, when you have lots of leverage, move ahead quickly to limit the possibility of time eroding your strength. It is also important to use time strategically. For example, ask for recesses at times that work to your advantage, such as when the opposition's challenges begin, when they put you on the spot and when you need to confer.

Positioning

Everyone comes in with a position on the issues, and once convictions harden they are tough to break. The sooner you deal with them, the easier it is to break through -- so try to prevent positions from being reinforced by focusing on interests. Note that if you have a weakness, never allow it to become a major issue. It might be best to defuse it by being open and disclosing it yourself.

The first offer

A good tactic in a bicycle sprint is to allow the other rider to commit first, so you can observe tactics. The same applies to negotiations. Try to hear their offer first -- perhaps it is just a budget number and then try to identify how much flexibility is built in before committing yourself to a counter offer. Do this by asking questions. Then present your offer, which will get them to make the first negotiating move, thus offering a clue as to their negotiation stance and your degree of maneuverability.

The power of precedent

Some people want to be the same as everyone else, so point out who else is using your package or doing things in the way you are proposing. Perhaps point out that it has always been done this way. Have some third-party data or statistics to back up your points, and don't be intimidated by their precedent.

Or, your theme might be uniqueness. Point out how you will customize your package or service in a special way for them. Perhaps note that what you are proposing has never been done this way before.

The power of competition

The influence of competition, real or imagined, may build urgency in the mind of either party. For example, a city negotiating with an engineering company has choices and a huge amount of negotiating power. If you are the engineer, you might try to make yourself unique in some way so that they feel they have to get an agreement.

Breaking a deadlock

Go back to the basics and recap by using your notes. Perhaps talk one on one with a key member of their group during a recess. Agree with what you can, and make this part of the solution. Perhaps call in a third party to inject a new perspective. However, sometimes a new person who comes into the negotiation late may cast doubt on what has already been agreed to. This is sometimes played out as a "good cop-bad cop" scenario.

Deadlines

Whoever sets the deadline has the power to change it. So if they set the deadline, negotiate it. If you set the deadline, always build a cushion under the deadline, but you don't have to reveal the true deadline.


Clive Shearer is a professional trainer, educator and retreat facilitator and can be reached at cgb9@yahoo.com


Previous columns:



Email or user name:
Password:
 
Forgot password? Click here.