Negotiation Tactics - Taming the Tongue
Controlling our speech may be the most difficult discipline.
To be able to control what one says in the negotiation process reveals strength and poise.
In the art of negotiation tactics, taming the tongue is the virtue of virtues.
What we say reveals our hearts, and our intentions.
People are able to mask their internal thoughts for a time, but sooner or later, their mouths reveal who they are.
Give anyone a chance to talk, and you can learn most everything about them.
Chief of negotiation tactics is the ability to be patient and to control your speech.
In negotiation, patience is EVERYTHING.
The negotiator who can't wait for an answer, can't wait for a concession, reveals his deadline early, or jumps at conclusions will ultimately pay the cost of his actions, and they will be expensive.
But the negotiator who can remain calm, take his time, review multiple options, and consider how the other side might feel, will reap the results of his actions, and they will be profitable.
Of course, if price is not a concern, and the one seeking to close the deal wants the deal done more than she wants a profitable outcome...
won't need to be patient.
But for the vast majority of people entering deliberations on any transaction, be it buying some real estate or selling a barbecue grill, they will want to get the best possible deal they can, meaning the best product for the least amount of money, or vice versa.
And negotiation tactics studied (and practiced) will make that deal a reality.
Each parties' deadline becomes a critically important part of the negotiation process.
Each side of the transaction will have a time by which the issue must be solved, or the deal done.
Revealing the deadline to the opposing party weakens one's position, for it gives the other side something to work against.
When a seller of a product asks the question: "When do you need it?", he is hoping to get a deadline from you, a lever to use when working the clock will help consummate the close.
I remember once going to an out of town car dealership to buy a truck.
My wife and infant daughter and I arrived at the lot later than planned, and it was well into the evening when we started looking at trucks.
Not thinking, I told the salesman we were from out of town and were ready to get a truck that day.
Of course, this was music to his ears, and looking back on the day, I can see exactly how he used the information I offered for his benefit.
After we had seen a truck we thought we might buy, he escorted us to an lone office with some cheap coffee and magazines and told us he was going straight to the manager to push our offer through.
I don't know where he went, but he didn't go to the manager.
He was gone for at least 20 minutes.
When he did finally return, he told us the manager was delayed and would be getting to our offer shortly.
More waiting.
And then some more again.
More stale coffee.
Everything was becoming a blur at some point that night when I looked at the clock and read "10pm".
The crickets were chirping as we signed on the dotted line.
And yes, I got taken.
I paid more than I should have, got less than I wanted, and agreed to things I shouldn't have.
The mistake? I revealed my deadline, which was an implied deadline, by telling him I was from out of town, and bringing my wife and young daughter.
I was tired, frustrated, and well...
kinda stupid.
Revealing a deadline is suicide to contract negotiation.
When the opposing side knows when you must have the deal done, they can apply pressure on that deadline, stall, discuss incidentals, or whatever they can think of to push you up against your deadline, and gain advantage.
The moral of the story is simply this: in negotiation of any kind, never reveal your deadline unless you absolutely must.
Be patient, keep calm, ask questions, try to discover what they will concede, but never, ever tell them when you have to have the deal done.
It will greatly weaken your position.
There are few negotiation strategies to consider in times where you, or someone working for you, has already revealed your deadline.
In these situations, ask yourself these questions: 1.
Who set the deadline? Maybe the deadline was not even important, or perhaps it was just an arbitrary decision.
Find out who set it, and see if she can change it.
2.
Why was the deadline set? Was it merely for motivational purposes, or was it really crucial? If you know why, it helps you know how to approach negotiating against it.
3.
How much does it cost to negotiate against the deadline? It may well be that changing a deadline is more expensive than allowing your opponent to use it against you.
Or the reverse.
Consider the cost and go with the better option.
4.
What can I do to downplay the importance? Sometimes you are stuck; you've been exposed and you need to concede.
In these situations, diminish the importance of the deadline as much as possible, focusing on other issues of the negotiation.
If you make light of the deadline, chances are the other party will also.
The tongue is an instrument of great import.
The use of it can enhance or destroy a business.
Knowing how greatly wise speech can influence business dealings, astute business owners are compelled to make regular practice of learning negotiation tactics, and chief among them is taming the tongue.
"From the fruit of a man's mouth he enjoys good...
" Prov 13:2
To be able to control what one says in the negotiation process reveals strength and poise.
In the art of negotiation tactics, taming the tongue is the virtue of virtues.
What we say reveals our hearts, and our intentions.
People are able to mask their internal thoughts for a time, but sooner or later, their mouths reveal who they are.
Give anyone a chance to talk, and you can learn most everything about them.
Chief of negotiation tactics is the ability to be patient and to control your speech.
In negotiation, patience is EVERYTHING.
The negotiator who can't wait for an answer, can't wait for a concession, reveals his deadline early, or jumps at conclusions will ultimately pay the cost of his actions, and they will be expensive.
But the negotiator who can remain calm, take his time, review multiple options, and consider how the other side might feel, will reap the results of his actions, and they will be profitable.
Of course, if price is not a concern, and the one seeking to close the deal wants the deal done more than she wants a profitable outcome...
won't need to be patient.
But for the vast majority of people entering deliberations on any transaction, be it buying some real estate or selling a barbecue grill, they will want to get the best possible deal they can, meaning the best product for the least amount of money, or vice versa.
And negotiation tactics studied (and practiced) will make that deal a reality.
Each parties' deadline becomes a critically important part of the negotiation process.
Each side of the transaction will have a time by which the issue must be solved, or the deal done.
Revealing the deadline to the opposing party weakens one's position, for it gives the other side something to work against.
When a seller of a product asks the question: "When do you need it?", he is hoping to get a deadline from you, a lever to use when working the clock will help consummate the close.
I remember once going to an out of town car dealership to buy a truck.
My wife and infant daughter and I arrived at the lot later than planned, and it was well into the evening when we started looking at trucks.
Not thinking, I told the salesman we were from out of town and were ready to get a truck that day.
Of course, this was music to his ears, and looking back on the day, I can see exactly how he used the information I offered for his benefit.
After we had seen a truck we thought we might buy, he escorted us to an lone office with some cheap coffee and magazines and told us he was going straight to the manager to push our offer through.
I don't know where he went, but he didn't go to the manager.
He was gone for at least 20 minutes.
When he did finally return, he told us the manager was delayed and would be getting to our offer shortly.
More waiting.
And then some more again.
More stale coffee.
Everything was becoming a blur at some point that night when I looked at the clock and read "10pm".
The crickets were chirping as we signed on the dotted line.
And yes, I got taken.
I paid more than I should have, got less than I wanted, and agreed to things I shouldn't have.
The mistake? I revealed my deadline, which was an implied deadline, by telling him I was from out of town, and bringing my wife and young daughter.
I was tired, frustrated, and well...
kinda stupid.
Revealing a deadline is suicide to contract negotiation.
When the opposing side knows when you must have the deal done, they can apply pressure on that deadline, stall, discuss incidentals, or whatever they can think of to push you up against your deadline, and gain advantage.
The moral of the story is simply this: in negotiation of any kind, never reveal your deadline unless you absolutely must.
Be patient, keep calm, ask questions, try to discover what they will concede, but never, ever tell them when you have to have the deal done.
It will greatly weaken your position.
There are few negotiation strategies to consider in times where you, or someone working for you, has already revealed your deadline.
In these situations, ask yourself these questions: 1.
Who set the deadline? Maybe the deadline was not even important, or perhaps it was just an arbitrary decision.
Find out who set it, and see if she can change it.
2.
Why was the deadline set? Was it merely for motivational purposes, or was it really crucial? If you know why, it helps you know how to approach negotiating against it.
3.
How much does it cost to negotiate against the deadline? It may well be that changing a deadline is more expensive than allowing your opponent to use it against you.
Or the reverse.
Consider the cost and go with the better option.
4.
What can I do to downplay the importance? Sometimes you are stuck; you've been exposed and you need to concede.
In these situations, diminish the importance of the deadline as much as possible, focusing on other issues of the negotiation.
If you make light of the deadline, chances are the other party will also.
The tongue is an instrument of great import.
The use of it can enhance or destroy a business.
Knowing how greatly wise speech can influence business dealings, astute business owners are compelled to make regular practice of learning negotiation tactics, and chief among them is taming the tongue.
"From the fruit of a man's mouth he enjoys good...
" Prov 13:2
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