Post #6: Frequently Asked Tactical Questions

Frequently Asked Tactical Questions

Let’s continue the conversation about business negotiation. In my previous posts I have already mentioned that it was very important to ask right questions before and during negotiation. Thus, there are some FAQs about negotiating tactics which can be organized in three broad categories: price, processes and people. I will talk about only few of those, which I consider the most interesting to tackle.

Concerning the FAQs about price it was useful to know how to react to an incredibly unreasonable price opened by the other side. The most important is to stay neutral and not to get lost. We should come back to talking about interests, explaining our perspective on the deal. We should remember that we do not have to refer to the initial price or proposal of the opponent. This is quite difficult for me, because in most cases after realizing that the price offered by my negotiator is much higher than I expected I throw away the negotiation. 

Concerning the FAQs about process I was always wondering if we could bluff during negotiation. Indeed, when we imitate negotiations during play roles in the class we tend to lie not thinking about the consequences. In real life, we get it more seriously and lying about material fact is almost certainly grounds for legal actions. However, we do not need to reveal all the circumstances that make us willing to conclude a deal. We can so keep some details under scratch. 

Concerning the FAQs about people’s problems, I was most interested by the question on some means we use during negotiation. Indeed, by which way it would be better to communicate, over the telephone, via mail or face-to-face meeting? Personally, I prefer the last two ones. Mail communication may have a greater tendency to result in disputes and impasses. The person who receives an e-mail may interpret a comment negatively when the sender did not intend it that way. On the other hand, mail communication is devoid of emotions. We are more rational and carefully try to look for “right words”. Negotiating over the telephone, we are more likely to lie, because it is more difficult to understand the emotions of a person across the line. I prefer face-to-face communication, where I can see the reaction and observe reactions of my negotiator. I feel more confident.