posts By Bradley Chowles

In any negotiation, information is an incredibly valuable commodity. (After all, Managing Information Skillfully is one of our 6 Principles of Successful Negotiation.) But, is it ever okay to lie in a negotiation? If you were to ask which competitors your prospect is considering and what they’ve been offered, for instance, you might adjust your proposal accordingly. What if they lied?

Any sales negotiator is likely to meet with a variety of negotiation tactics and styles throughout their career. There’s the hardball negotiator who doesn’t budge an inch, the anxious novice who buckles under the slightest pressure, the charismatic straight-talker who relies a bit too much on winging the entire thing.

Hopefully, you’re not guilty of the negotiation mistakes mentioned in this blog. But, chances are good that you’ve probably committed a few of these errors before, if not regularly. It’s okay, you’re not alone. In fact, most sales professionals typically are unaware of their mistakes. For instance, if I were to ask you to share your best negotiation tips, you’d quickly start listing everything...

Modern technology has made it easier than ever before to communicate with people on the other side of the planet. And in addition to the social benefits of being able to engage with other cultures and perspectives, this also means American businesses are increasingly able to enter international markets. Take the Chinese market, for instance. Giant corporations like the NBA and Marvel are bending...

Every negotiation is an exercise in excavation. When you initially sit down with the other party, you have a mental picture of their case and organization. But over the course of your interaction with them, you gather as much information as possible to better inform your strategy and ensure the best possible outcome. This means excavating the needs, motivations, and expectations that lie beneath...

There’s an old Aesop tale that tells the story of the wind and the sun arguing about which was more powerful. Seeing a traveling man walking down the road, they saw a chance to settle their debate once and for all. Whoever could get the traveler to remove his coat would unarguably be the most powerful of the two. The wind went first, but no matter how hard it blew, the traveler just held on to...

There’s little worse than stepping into a team meeting that’s dull, uninspired, and unproductive. No one really wants to be there, few – if any – new ideas are being put forward, and the final outcome will most likely be the easiest way forward, regardless of quality.

To succeed in any negotiation environment, a negotiator needs to be able to adjust their approach according to the situation. Much like a soldier on the battlefield doesn’t use a single type of weapon for every combat situation, the best negotiators have an arsenal of distinct negotiation behaviors that serve specific purposes depending on the situation.

Most negotiation analogies involve some kind of sport or strategic game, such as boxing, poker, chess, basketball — you name it. This is because most people see negotiation as an inherently competitive activity. It’s one negotiator competing with the other for the better deal and more favorable outcome — simple, right?