Skip to main content

Top 5 negotiation tactics that are used by buyers



When a buyer and a seller negotiate over a deal it is in the interest of each party to get the best deal possible. Here are the four most common tactics buyers use in a negotiation in order to get to the best deal possible.

The Russian Front
This is a tactic whereby the buyer presents the seller with only two options.  One is so terrible; it feels like being sent to the Russian Front which makes you agree to the other options. Compared to the first option the second option does not look that bad now.
Don’t make the other party put you under pressure, don’t accept either option. Ask for an alternative or come up with a counter proposal.

Good guy bad guy
In this tactic you have one person making very high demands. This person is also often cold an unapproachable. The aim is to intimidate the selling party. The good guy on the other hand has a more reasonable approach and shows a willingness to concede and come to a deal.
The purpose of this tactic is to set the expectations high by the bad guy and intimidate the other party.
Remember they are on the same team and playing a game to get the best deal, hence the good guy is not on your side.

Just one more thing
Remember Columbo? He interviews the murder suspect and starts to leave the room; you can see some relief in the face of the suspect and suddenly Columbo turns around with “Just one more thing”.
This tactic is used at the end of the negotiation when you are just about to agree to a deal. The other party then comes up with one more request and because it is at the end of the negotiation and in particular if it has taken a long time to get there the selling party is often inclined to agree to the request in order to get the deal done.
If the request by the buyer is significant it can lead to overthrowing the whole deal and commencing the negotiation again or in the extreme case it can come to a deadlock.

The loss leader
The other party is trying to convince you this time they should sell to you at a loss as there will be more volumes further down the track. They sometimes also try to use their brand as a push, meaning that you can use their brand to advertise to other clients that you do work with them.
The reality is, never sell under price, what they promise might not come true and finally if they want your product then they will pay for it.


#negotiationtactics #negotiationskills 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What is Black Friday and why it is not worth it if you are a great negotiator.

All last week was hyped up by ‘Black Friday’ Sales. But what is it and why do we have it in Australia and is it worth it? Black Friday originates from the US and is the Friday after Thanksgiving which is the fourth Friday in November. Thanksgiving is a public holiday in the US. In the 1950s people used the Friday as a sick day and went shopping to get a head start in their Christmas shopping. Eventually in the 1960s this day turned into another paid leave day or shall we say into a paid ‘shopping day’. It has become a made-up event to drive consumerism. Many believe the term ‘Black Friday’ is used for profit making; black numbers in the ledger books; but that is not entirely correct. While this is the meaning today it meant something totally different in the 50s and 60s.  According to Bonnie Taylor Blake, a researcher at the University of North California, the term originated in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia police as they saw the day as a terrible day. The city was...

Negotiate with compassion in times of COVID 19.We are all in this together.

We live in strange times and our lives have been turned upside down. We need to adjust to new social norms, social distancing. We feel that our freedom has been taken away. We can’t travel, can’t meet with friends and family we can’t even just go to the supermarket and buy staples like flour, toilet paper or canned tomatoes. The way we work has changed; the way we interact with each other has changed.  The way we negotiate should also change in these strange and challenging times. While we negotiate to get the best deal possible and don’t want to leave money on the table; this does not necessarily apply in these circumstances where we are all affected in some way or another. What is important now is that we work together, find solutions together and help each other out. I have seen many acts of kindness lately. It’s these times that bring us together. The same goes when you negotiate. These are extraordinary circumstances, and people still need to make deals but it is ...