Negotiating Tip #14:
Don’t Push So Hard That You Go Over the Cliff
We at MCN teach you how to be tough negotiators. But don’t go too far. Even if you are a likeable person with an engaging personality, if you constantly push so much that the other person thinks you’re being unfair with them, or taking advantage of them, they may decide just not to work with you.
That is no big deal if you are making a one-time purchase and will never deal with that person again – you got a good price, so who cares if they think you are a jackass? But in today’s business environment, it is unusual to have just one-off interactions. Often you will be dealing a lot with the other side – you will depend on them to deliver customer support, training, or whatever.
Being seen as unreasonably tough can be a relationship killer. It is fine – it is expected – for you to stand up for what’s in your firm’s interests, but you need to be seen as someone who can put that in context. Going for a pound of flesh off the other person’s hide is not a good idea.If you are looking to build a relationship with the other side, you need to be prepared to put something on the table – propose a concession that makes a big difference to them but does not matter so much to you.