Persistence Is Good Until . . . . .

Since childhood we have been encouraged to be persistent. I remember being taught, "Winners never quit; quitters never win!", "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again."

Certainly persistence is a virtue in the negotiation process, but there is a limit to what that characteristic can achieve before it becomes a negative.

If you and I open the negotiation with differing views, then slowly find ways to decrease the gap, we will be encouraged to continue the process. Consider what would occur if one of us reaches a point where it is important to take a stand on a particular issue and convince the other party that we have reached our limit. The other party keeps pushing to create movement, perhaps making another concession. We reiterate our position again and perhaps again. If both parties are not careful, we will become entrenched.

Consider rewriting our parent's mantra to, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try and back off!" Backing off does not mean quitting, it means redirecting our energy. In the face of an impending entrenchment, I personally like to immediately summarize, "What we have achieved so far....", then mention the seemingly inflexible issue and inquire why it has become such a sticking point. After asking, be sure to be quiet and let the other party respond.

The goal is to learn the other person's logic. If you have better or updated logic which can replace the other person's mindset, it may be possible to give them a face-saving way to accept, then sell your ideas in their organization without causing them to look wrong.

Perhaps a manufacturing customer based a standard cost or budget figure on raw material prices, or natural gas prices or transportation costs of two years ago. By learning their logic, you can replace it with current logic. Remember, no one is wrong; the logic has changed.

Jim Sauerwein