Sunday, September 1, 2013

Negotiation Tactics


In the blog I've talked primarily about contract negotiation. Today I wanted to share a list of all the different negotiation tactics that I've used, seen used or read about in books or learned from training. I'd be interested in readers commenting about any other tactics they have used or encountered in a negotiation.

1. Take it or leave it.
2. You've got to do better.
3. Remind them of the competition.
4. Aim high.
5. Use funny money.
6. Exercise Patience
7. I can't go further.
8. Use your Power / Leverage.
9. Nibble away
10. Look at record, prior performance
11. Let's Split the difference.
12. When they offer less offer them something of lesser value
13. Use a team attack (outnumber the other party at the negotiating table).
14. Use time to your advantage.
15. Create an reverse auction between competitors.
16. Faking or share information to drive decisions such as planned price increases .
17. Intentional overload of requests for information.
18. Elevate to a higher authority.
19. Apparently withdraw from the negotiation.
20. Tell them what will happen if don't they don’t agree.
21. Dangle the carrot of more potential business.
22. Use limited authority or the need to get higher level approval above a certain amount
23. Use limited funding levels
24. Ask “What if"
25. Cherry pick only the items you get the most benefit from.
26. Tell them what you need and why.
27. Show legitimacy of your position.
28. Create intentional deadlock.
29. Establish deadlines.
30. Use past precedent.
31. Play to the Negotiator’s needs such as being risk averse.
32. Divide and conquer members of their team
33. Change (the pace, the team, etc.)
34. Use the Good Guy / Bad Guy tactic
35. Attempt to intimidate the negotiator.
36. Stonewall – just continue to say no.
37. Provide reasons to agree.
38. Ask for a new counterpart.
39. Leak information to help them decide.
40. Put them on the defensive.
41. Make them feel guilty about their position.
42. Be unpredictable.
43. Use silence to create uncertainty
44. Set expectations early about what is possible or needed
45. Create smokescreens
46. Use shills such as another team member making a comment that could impact the negotiation.
47. Be skeptical, demand proof
47. Catch them while they are weak, or wear them down.
48. Create power seating positions
49. Do things to distract them
50. Flinch at their proposals
51. Give non-verbal signals to show apparent feelings
52. Gasp in shock or surprise
53. Set aside issues (to either buy time to decide or use for greater effect)
54. Start easy and get them used to agreeing.
55. For every concession ask for something in return.
56. In conceding let then know you are conceding and what that is worth.
57. Withdraw an offer.
58. Tell them nothing is agreed until everything is agreed (revisit prior agreements because of impact)
59. Taper down concessions.
60. Ask them why they need it.
61. Learn to say no
62. Get the other side to commit first.
63. Act dumb, ask them to explain.
64. Summarize all agreements & and control the contract.
65. Assume there was agreement on an issue.
66. Talk about the need for win-win.
67. Introduce information at key times.
68. Work their emotions.
69. Let them save face with their management.
70. Show your knowledge
71. When what they say isn’t true, let them know that you know that and don’t agree.
72. Show them your commitment.
73. Use time such as end of month or end of quarter and readiness to buy in that period to get concessions.
74. Remind them of their investment either in money or time they will lose if they don’t agree.
75. Sell your position.
76. Give them good reasons to agree.
77. Use example and analogies to drive points
78. Use graphics to get their attention.
79. Use conditional proposals and language
80. Link items for agreement, To give you this, I need to get that.
81. Use contingent pricing.
82. Provide conditional acceptance.
83. Dilute the offer with exceptions.
84. Bait and switch.
85. Get something for the prestige of doing business with you.
86. Get something for being the first to act.
87. For ever extra they want to add, identify a deduct (e.g. If they want to change for “No problem found” returns ask them for a credit for quality performance problems.)
88. Tell them its not negotiable
89. Puff the significance of concessions
90. Make an intentional mistake.
91. Be ambiguous with the intent of later claiming or interpreting it to your interest.
92. Use blocking tactics - delay coming to agreement until they have no other choices to give them less.
93. Minimize the value of their concessions to you.
94. Give them what they want, but in a manner which is to your favor.
95. Ask leading questions to drive them to a specific conclusion you want.
96. Find their company or the negotiator’s hot button and use it.
97. Avoid direct comparison by providing something other than what they requested.
98. Offer to do things they would do.
100. Avoid the add on (e.g. plus shipping and handling)
101. Manage their expectations (early and often)
102. Offer to be a reference account.
103. Ask for return for your loyalty
104. Leverage all relations you have with them (both sales and buying)
105. Look for special concessions for giving a percent or all of your requirements.