Negotiator Styles

“I can’t believe they want to negotiate every single point,” my client said. “It makes no sense. These are standard terms, and many of their changes represent no functional difference.”

What can you do when facing someone who wants to negotiate everything – even seemingly incontrovertible issues?

Start by exploring the rationale underlying your counterpart’s “fight everything” strategy. Then design a counterstrategy to address it.

Here are some reasons why a “fight everything” approach may seem sensible, plus some ways to counter them.

Newt Gingrich has repeatedly called Mitt Romney a liar. And Romney has incessantly focused on Gingrich’s personal ethics and effectively accused Gingrich of being a sore loser.

“How should my wife deal with bullies,” this seminar attendee asked me. She works for a large software company, he said, and helps implement their systems at customers’ offices. And their customers regularly try to bully her into providing a lot more services and products than they paid for.

A client recently asked for advice concerning his negotiation to collect a $17,000 bill from a customer.  The relationship had deteriorated in part due to a major personality conflict, and his customer – after agreeing to pay the balance – changed her mind and sent him a nasty, unprofessional e-mail about the dispute.

My advice? Go over her head to her CEO.  He did, and promptly elicited the full payment.

This highlights a common question I am asked – when should you move up the chain and go over your counterpart’s head.  In deciding, consider:

By Marty Latz
June 3, 2005 The Business Journal

Do nice negotiators tend to finish last -- or "lose" more often -- in their negotiations?

And if so, how can they protect themselves from this tendency and be more effective?

By Marty Latz
November 5, 2004 The Business Journal

I was surprised. Instead of working with me to resolve the challenge we unexpectedly faced, he immediately said he would see me in court and didn't express any regret for partially contributing to the situation.

Ron told me to put up my dukes. So I did. And we went at it. It was in our basement. Ron, my older brother, was 11. I was 10. My dad, a former Golden Gloves boxer, had taught us to box so we could defend ourselves.

Ron and I occasionally fought over the usual sibling rivalry issues. When conflict occurs, many, like us, instinctively battle.