Negotiating Tips from Bob Gibson
We received the following article from Bob Gibson, who is one of the world’s leading authorities on negotiating:
When you’re negotiating, always have a few things tucked away in your hip pocket so you can swap them out when someone asks for something.
The wording is important. You might say, “That may be possible…if we can make that happen, what are the chances of…?” Or, “If we could get that done, would you be willing to…?”
Notice with both of these statements, there is no commitment. Also notice it they can’t do it, the door is open for another path.
Most people in this situation will say something like, “I’ll do that if you do this?” That’s an ultimatum because what they hear is “I’m not going to do that UNLESS you do this.”
–Bob Gibson is internationally famous for his seminars and consulting in the area of sales negotiation. He can be reached at 415-380-0910