The Best Way to Counter Dirty Tricks in Negotiation

I've been negotiating contracts as an entrepreneur and lawyer for more than 20 years and I've found one of the greatest challenges we face in making deals is countering the "dirty tricks" others try to pull on us.

I catalog more than 101 good and bad techniques in university and corporate classes. Dirty tricks range from purposely missing deadlines, to crying poormouth, to outright lying about pertinent details such as prices.

What can we deploy as countermeasures, without falling into the ethical trap of using deceptive and underhanded tactics, ourselves?

One of the best ways to chasten a scurrilous counterpart is to "call" him or her on their tactics, to bring them out into the open, instead of feeling we have to reflexively react to them.

For instance, I was negotiating the deal points of a proposed training program with the VP of Sales at a large manufacturing company in the heart of the Midwest. He seemed less than completely above board, to state it nicely, casting darting glances here and there, consulting little note cards as we chatted.

So, I asked him: "Which guru's techniques are you using in this negotiation: Nierenberg, Cohen, or Karass?" These were the names of the most widely known experts at the time.

He cleared his throat and replied, sheepishly, "Karass."

"Ah," I sighed and nodded, smiling all the while.

That little challenge brought him back into the here and now, and he seemed much less strategic and more spontaneous, enabling us to quickly forge a suitable agreement.

If you can actually name the ploy someone is using, that's even better.

"Hey, you two are using 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' aren't you?"

Educate yourself in what to expect by studying the best practices in negotiation. Forewarned is forearmed!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top speaker, negotiation consultant, attorney, real estate broker, TV and radio commentator and the best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING: HOW TO HAVE A GREAT SECOND CAREER. He is the creator of Nightingale-Conant's successful audio seminar: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE. See: http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail~product~Law_Large_Numbers.aspx His original class, "Best Practices in Negotiation," is offered at UCLA & UC Berkeley Extension and at a number of other fine universities and organizations.

Gary conducts seminars and speaks at convention programs around the world. He can be reached at gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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The Best Way to Counter Dirty Tricks in Negotiation