Never underestimate the negotiation
capabilities of children. Being a young parent, I have realised how good kids
are at negotiating. My 4-year-old daughter is already a very skilful negotiator
using a variety of tactics to her advantage providing her with a successful
outcome most of the time.
She knows when to approach me to ask for
something. Usually it is when I am busy or when I am just about to go on a work
trip or have just returned from a work trip, playing with my conscious and
guilt that I had been away again for some time.
It is also how she makes the request. She
puts a lot of effort into this by using her cutest smile, playing with my
emotions and making it almost impossible to say no. Charm and an emotional
connection go a long way.
Children know how hard it is for their
parents to say no when they put on their cutest smiles. People are emotional
and playing on these emotions gets you a better negotiation outcome.
She knows who to ask and when to ask. She
knows in which situations I am more likely to say yes than my husband and the
other way around.
Then she would repeat the request over and
over again. She is using the broken record tactic, repeating the same request
again and again until I finally give in. The broken record tactic wears you out
and eventually you say yes.
She does not worry about what other people
think of her, she only has her eye on the prize.
Time
and circumstances
She uses time and circumstances to her
advantage as it is not just about asking what you want, it is also the timing
when to ask and the circumstances the other party might be in. In my case it is
when I am busy so it is easier to say yes because I don’t have much time.
Circumstances are also a big factor, in my case it is when I am back from a
work trip playing with my guilt that I have been away, meaning that I am
vulnerable and more likely to say yes.
The
broken record
She is repeating over and over again what
she wants. Each time she asks reinforces again her demand until you stop
ignoring it. Persistence is the key to any negotiation with the refusal to
accept ‘no’.
Why
She challenges everything that is not
positive to her proposal with why. In any negotiation if you challenge the
proposals with why puts the other party under pressure to explain and divulge
valuable information that you may not have had in the first place.
#negotiationskills #negotiate #negotiateforbusiness
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