Roger Dawson
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Why it’s a Mistake to Offer to Split the Difference
In this country, we have a tremendous sense of fair play. Our sense of fair play dictates to us that if both sides give equally, then that’s fair. If Fred puts his home up for sale at $200,000, Susan makes an offer at $190,000, and both Fred and Susan are eager to compromise, both of them tend to be thinking, “If we settled at $195,000 that would be fair, because we both gave equally.”Maybe it’s fair and maybe it isn’t. It depends on the opening negotiating positions that Fred and Susan took. If the house is really worth $190,000 and…
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When You’re Negotiating, Money Isn’t As Important as You Think
Let me tell you about my pet subject: When you’re selling your product or service, money is way down the list of things that are important to the other side.First, we’ll talk about something that you may find hard to believe but it’s something of which I’ve become convinced-that people want to spend more, not less, and that the price concerns salespeople more than the people to whom they sell.Then I’ll teach you all the things that are more important to people than money. Finally, I’ll teach you some techniques to find out how much they’ll pay.People Want To Pay…
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When Negotiations Stall, Position the Other Side for Easy Acceptance
When you’re negotiating with people who have studied negotiating, and are proud of their ability to negotiate, you can get ridiculously close to agreement, and the entire negotiation will still fall apart on you. When it does, it’s probably not the price or terms of the agreement that caused the problem, it’s the ego of the other person as a negotiator. When that happens, Power Negotiators use a simple technique that positions the other person for easy acceptance.Let’s say that you market advertising specialties, such as rulers, with the company’s name on it-or custom printed baseball caps and T-shirts. You…
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What to Do When It’s Time to Get It in Writing
Most people think of negotiating as the verbal give and take that takes people from their different wants and needs to a point of agreement. That, of course, is the heart of negotiating but just as important is the transition to the written contract that formalizes the verbal agreement. Here are the things that Power Negotiators look for as they move toward the written contract:Don’t Let the Other Side Write the ContractIn a typical negotiation, you verbally negotiate the details, then put it into writing later for both parties to review and approve. I’ve yet to run across a situation…
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Want to Get More at the Bargaining Table?
Power Negotiators know that you should always flinch-react with shock and surprise at the other side’s proposals. Let’s say that you are in a resort area and stop to watch one of those charcoal sketch artists. He doesn’t have the price posted, and he has the shill sitting on the stool. You ask him how much he charges, and he tells you $15. If that doesn’t appear to shock you, his next words will be, “And $5 extra for color.” If you still don’t appear shocked, he will say, “And we have these shipping cartons here, you’ll need one of…
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Unethical Negotiating Gambits and How to Protect Yourself Against Them
Let me teach you the unethical gambits that people can use to get you to sweeten the deal. Unless you’re so familiar with them that you spot them right away, you’ll find that you will make unnecessary concessions just to get the other side to agree with your proposal. Many a salesperson has had to endure an embarrassing interview with a sales manager who can’t understand why he made a concession. The salesperson tries to maintain that the only way to get the order was to make the concession. The truth was that the buyer out maneuvered the salesperson with…
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To Win in Negotiations, Learn How to Taper Concessions
In extended negotiations over price, be careful that you don’t set up a pattern in the way that you make concessions. Let’s say that you’re selling a used car and you’ve gone into the negotiation with a price of $15,000, but you would go as low as $14,000. So, you have a negotiating range of $1,000.The way in which you give away that $1,000 is very critical. There are several mistakes that you should avoid:Equal-Sized ConcessionsThis means giving away your $1,000 negotiating range in four increments of $250. Imagine what the other person’s thinking if you do that. She doesn’t…
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To Get a Better Deal, Learn How to Use the Vise Gambit
The Vise is a very effective negotiating Gambit and what it will do for you will amaze you. The Vise Gambit is the simple little expression: “You’ll have to do better than that.” Here’s how Power Negotiators use it: Let’s say that you own a small steel company that sells steel products in bulk. You are calling on a fabricating plant where the buyer has listened to your proposal and your pricing structure. You ignored his insistence that he’s happy with his present supplier and did a good job of building desire for your product.Finally, the other person says to…
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To Be a More Powerful Negotiator Never Say Yes to the First Offer
Power Negotiators know that you should never say Yes to the first offer (or counter-offer) because it automatically triggers two thoughts in the other person’s mind. Let’s say that you’re thinking of buying a second car. The people down the street have one for sale, and they’re asking $10,000. That is such a terrific price on the perfect car for you that you can’t wait to get down there and snap it up before somebody else beats you to it.On the way there you start thinking that it would be a mistake to offer them what they’re asking, so you…
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To be a Better Bargainer, Bracket Your Objective
Whether you’re bargaining in your favorite antique store, negotiating for an increase in pay, or trying to get the rock-bottom price for a new car, you’ll do better if you use a technique that negotiators call Bracketing. This means that your initial proposal should be an equal distance on the other side of your objective as their proposal.Let me give you some simple examples:The antique dealer is asking $1200 for that antique desk that would be perfect in the corner of your living room. You are willing to pay $1000. You should offer him $800.You hope that your boss will…
