the-everyday-negotiator.pdf

S ECTION I:

I NTRODUCTION

Real-Life Negotiation Situations

You feel you’ve been had. Sucker-punched. Taken for a ride. Why?

You’ve been talking to your next-door neighbors about their cell phone ser-

vice, and you find out that they are paying roughly half the monthly rate that you

are paying! To make matters worse, you learn that their phone has text-messaging,

a camera, no roaming charges, AND e-mail capability! Your cell phone does not

have these functions. And the final insult? They didn’t have to sign a contract—

and you still have 18 months left on yours.

At first you get mad, thinking the phone company made a mistake that is

costing you money. After all, you pride yourself on being an informed consumer—

how else could this have happened? Then you ask your neighbor how he got such

a good deal. He tells you that he and his wife simply negotiated the agreement

when they switched providers. Boy, do you feel frustrated and foolish. You realize

how easy if would have been for you to have negotiated the same deal, if only you

had tried.

The fact is that most people miss many opportunities to negotiate in their pro-

fessional and personal lives. Negotiating is a critical ability that many of us lack,

yet anyone can become a competent negotiator. It simply requires (1) knowing

when a particular situation is ripe for negotiation; (2) knowing who is able to make

a decision for the other party (you often need to ask to speak with the supervisor

or manager in charge); and (3) knowing how to negotiate. Read this easy-to-follow

book, and learn how to negotiate by practicing a few tactics presented here. As you

read, you’ll be amazed at all the everyday situations in which having the ability to

negotiate effectively can enrich your life.

Introduction

Practical Tactics for Work and Life

In this book, we provide the reader with 50 proven, practical, and easy-to-apply

negotiation tactics. We minimize the jargon and long-winded stories so you can

quickly learn how to use each tactic (usually in less than a day!). You do not need

to wade through hundreds of pages to find a single useful tactic. In fact, most

people find a few interesting tactics right away, and try them out immediately.

Each tactic is briefly defined and used in work and life examples—no lengthy

anecdotes and no wordy theoretical discussions. Each is written to stand alone; the

reader does not have to read and retain many pages of discussion just to under-

stand how to use the tactic.

50 Practical Negotiation Tactics

Tips on Getting the Most Out of This Book

Read the book through, from start to finish. It only takes about two hours. Read

all 50 tactics and flag the ones you believe you can use immediately and in what

situations. (Or use the Notes pages in the back). For example:

• Nickel and Diming (Tactic #43) – Use with copier vendor to reduce toner cost.

• Commit the Offer to Paper! (Tactic #50) – Use with kids for household chores

and driving privileges.

Keep it handy. This book, as the title states, is a resource book. After you have

familiarized yourself with the content, keep the book on your desk or shelf next to

the dictionary, encyclopedia, and other reference books.

Use the tactics! Practice makes perfect. Start with the ones you flagged or

recorded in the Notes section. The next time you are about to enter a negotiation

situation, refer to the notes you made, and try the tactic. It won’t cost you anything

to prepare ahead, and the experience of trying it out will build your confidence.

Everyone can negotiate, once they know the tactics and practice them. The first

time you realize that using a tactic gave you a significant gain, you will be ready to

try more of them.

Develop your own style. The fifty tactics presented in this book are not

intended to be recipes for success in any negotiation situation. Instead, they are

general methods that should be adapted to fit one’s personal style or negotiation

circumstance. As you use a tactic, record the results in the back of the book so you

can recall how it worked the next time a similar situation comes up.

Use the exercise forms in Section IV. They will help you think about how

you can use these tactics. On the form, briefly describe the situation; list the parties

involved (including the people who can make a decision); describe the issue to be

negotiated; and finally, list the tactics that you believe might be especially helpful.

Take the Quiz! Can this book help you? Circle yes or no next to each of the

ten quiz questions on page 7. Score your answers: one point for each “no” on ques-

tions 1, 6, 7, and 10 and one point for each “yes” on questions 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and

9. Total your points. If your total score is a 9 or 10, you are already a successful

Introduction

negotiator! Pass this book on to someone else who needs it. But if you scored 8 or

less, start reading!

Most people come face-to-face with a negotiation situation of one type or

another on a daily basis: on the job, with family members, with neighbors, at a flea

market. Unfortunately, few people understand that normal interactions represent

bargaining opportunities. Instead, they pay the sticker price, accept what is given,

or engage in an unproductive argument.

This book is designed to give the reader an understanding of the negotiation

process by presenting fifty proven, practical tactics useful in real-life situations at

work or at home. Most readers will no doubt recognize some of these strategies;

some will in retrospect even remember being the victim of one or two of them.

Learning how to use these tactics and knowing when to apply them will make

you a more skilled negotiator when you are faced with the opportunity to strike a

favorable agreement.

Who, exactly, are the negotiators most people deal with each week in their

work and personal life? The list will be long:

• a neighbor

• a home builder

• a spouse

• a hotel clerk

• a child

• an electrician/plumber

• other family members

• a lawyer

• a supervisor

• a vendor/buyer

• a co-worker

• a human resource director (who

• a salesperson

might make a job offer)

• a boyfriend/girlfriend

• a manager

Most people expect to have to negotiate when buying a car or purchasing a

home, but many of us miss the opportunity to bargain in other situations, such as

these:

• You receive the wrong order at a restaurant.

• A co-worker asks for volunteers for a new project.

• A child wants a new toy now .

50 Practical Negotiation Tactics

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