Negotiating Snow Jobs

Even though it is summer here in the northern hemisphere, snow jobs still exist. Negotiation snow jobs do not involve shivering in the cold, shoveling the driveway or de-icing your car. A snow job in business negotiation consists in giving the other party a blizzard of information—basically, information overload—simply to bog them down.

Why would someone engage in a “snow job?”

To bury data
When one party is “snowing under” the other party with information and data, you can rest assured something is getting buried. After all, when you have too much data to go through, you are going to miss something

To impress
Many people are impressed by size and quantity. Perhaps if someone presents you with a thick report, you think that the person has done lots of research, and because there is so much information there, it is hard to assess its quality.

To slow things down
When you provide too much information, you are making it difficult and slow for the other party to go through the data. Perhaps you are just buying time.

To overwhelm
Perhaps the snow job is designed to overwhelm you with information so that you don’t feel prepared. It could be a power move, designed to make you feel more vulnerable.

If you are faced with a snow job, don’t allow it to bog down the negotiation. Take a stance, and demand that the other party find the information you need. You may need to do it yourself, so have more patience and diligence in searching for what you need and don’t let yourself be pushed. Ask for time and take what you need..

Have you been the victim of a snow job? How did you deal with it?