Negotiation Strategies, Negotiation Case Studies February 19, 2009

The Sound of Silence

A negotiation in progress:

Pat: And we’re also going to need XYZ….

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) Well that stunned him. He doesn’t know what to say… I must be pretty good at this.

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) He’s certainly taking his time. He doesn’t seem to feel compelled to respond… I wonder what he’s thinking…

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) I bet he’s thinking he never expected to hear THAT.

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) Maybe he’s thinking , “I can’t believe she said that. That’s nowhere near what I can do… we can’t make this deal.”

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) Maybe he’s thinking , “I can’t believe she said that. Where does she get off? I thought she understood this business, but clearly she doesn’t. What a weird demand.”

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) Do I have something on my lip?

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:)I’ve clearly blown this…

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:)Maybe I can save this… I should have taken that negotiating class..

Pat: You know, Roy, you’ve got a good point. We don’t need XYZ… we could settle for about, uh, half of that?

Roy: (Silence)

Pat: (Thinking:) And how about if we throw back that last concession you made, also, just to show how much I value this relationship… Deal? Roy: (Thinking:) Definitely. I absolutely have to have Chinese food for lunch. Did she just say “Deal”?

Roy: Sure, okay, you’ve got a deal…

REMEMBER:

1. Watch your assumptions about what’s in the mind of the other party.

2. Silence is a powerful tool in negotiation

Until next time...think about it.