In every negotiation, in every agreement, the result comes from someone else’s decision. And sadly, if we believe that we can control or manage others’ decisions with compromise and logic, we’re leaving millions on the table. But while we can’t control others’ decisions, we can influence them by inhabiting their world and seeing and hearing exactly what they want.
So don’t settle and—here’s a simple rule—never split the difference. Creative solutions are almost always preceded by some degree of risk, annoyance, confusion, and conflict. Accommodation and compromise produce none of that. You’ve got to embrace the hard stuff. That’s where the great deals are.
BE PLEASANTLY PERSISTENT ON NONSALARY TERMS
SALARY TERMS WITHOUT SUCCESS TERMS IS RUSSIAN ROULETTE
SPARK THEIR INTEREST IN YOUR SUCCESS AND GAIN AN UNOFFICIAL MENTOR
Ask: “What does it take to be successful here?”
We are emotional, irrational beasts who are emotional and irrational in predictable, pattern-filled ways. Using that knowledge is only, well, rational.
Having just two words to start with might not seem like a lot of ammunition, but trust me, you can use “what”and “how”to calibrate nearly any question.
The trick to “How”questions is that, correctly used, they are gentle and graceful ways to say “No”and guide your counterpart to develop a better solution—your solution.
When implementation happens by committee, the support of that committee is key. You always have to identify and unearth their motivations, even if you haven’t yet identified each individual on that committee.
Humanize yourself. Use your name to introduce yourself. Say it in a fun, friendly way. Let them enjoy the interaction, too. And get your own special price.
And if the other side pushes you to go first, wriggle from his grip. Instead of naming a price, allude to an incredibly high number that someone else might charge.
Sometimes a situation simply calls for you to be the aggressor and punch the other side in the face.
The person across the table is never the problem. The unsolved issue is. So focus on the issue. This is one of the most basic tactics for avoiding emotional escalations.
The systematized and easy-to-remember process has only four steps:
1.Set your target price (your goal).
2.Set your first offer at 65 percent of your target price.
3.Calculate three raises of decreasing increments (to 85, 95, and 100 percent).
4.Use lots of empathy and different ways of saying “No”to get the other side to counter before you increase your offer.
5.When calculating the final amount, use precise, nonround numbers like, say, $37,893 rather than $38,000. It gives the number credibility and weight.
6.On your final number, throw in a nonmonetary item (that they probably don’t want) to show you’re at your limit.
The shock of an extreme anchor will induce a fight-or-flight reaction in all but the most experienced negotiators, limiting their cognitive abilities and pushing them into rash action.
If you can show inconsistencies between their beliefs and their actions, you have normative leverage. No one likes to look like a hypocrite.
But when someone displays a passion for what we’ve always wanted and conveys a purposeful plan of how to get there, we allow our perceptions of what’s possible to change. We’re all hungry for a map to joy, and when someone is courageous enough to draw it for us, we naturally follow.
The alternative we’ve chosen is to not understand their religion, their fanaticism, and their delusions. Instead of negotiations that don’t go well, we shrug our shoulders and say, “They’re crazy!”
Whatever the specifics of the situation, these people are not acting irrationally. They are simply complying with needs and desires that you don’t yet understand, what the world looks like to them based on their own set of rules.
If this book accomplishes only one thing, I hope it gets you over that fear of conflict and encourages you to navigate it with empathy. If you’re going to be great at anything—a great negotiator, a great manager, a great husband, a great wife—you’re going to have to do that.
One can only be an exceptional negotiator, and a great person, by both listening and speaking clearly and empathetically; by treating counterparts—and oneself—with dignity and respect; and most of all by being honest about what one wants and what one can—and cannot—do.
When the pressure is on, you don’t rise to the occasion—you fall to your highest level of preparation.