The art of negotiating without manipulation

Negotiation is an important art when it comes to sales issues, whether in the past on public markets or today in offices. The idea is to come away with the best deal, and for everyone to feel that they've gained something by agreeing to give in on other points.

It's a delicate art, and it's very easy to fall into the trap of foolish manipulation or, conversely, to be fooled. In this capsule, specialist Quentin Despas takes a look at the ten techniques used by experts and how to counter them, if need be.

1. The limited budget: the other party arrives with a limited budget and can't meet the asking price, so you have to see what's possible, since they've obviously budgeted for it.
   
   
2. The Ackerman model: this involves offering a sale price 35% higher than the desired target (or a purchase price 35% lower) and lowering (or raising) the price during the negotiation.
   
   
3. Bluffing and threatening: both techniques are similar in that they try to induce the other party to accept the offer unconditionally. In the case of the threat, it's really a question of a show of force in the approach, whereas the bluff will be less "all or nothing", but will push through words to manipulate. So don't let yourself be taken in, and instead use the opportunity to really see if the other person is serious or if it's a poker game.
   
   
4. Forced empathy: forcing the other party to find a solution to reach agreement, by asking a question like: "What do I have to do for us to work together?" Dismissing the question defuses this negotiation pirouette.
   
   
5. The imaginary rival: the idea is to make people believe that another person, a competitor, is offering something better, and that we should accost or even surpass them in order to obtain it. Asking questions about rivalry can lead liars to contradict themselves and assert inconsistencies.
   
   
6. The imaginary appeal: A rare technique that doesn't need to be guarded against, since it involves proposing something extra in the conditional to ensure agreement between the two parties. It's all the more interesting because, if the other party seems interested, you can work towards actually obtaining this bonus.
   
   
7. Scratchers: the person is about to sign and suddenly asks if this includes a fee or benefit. They try to scratch more, knowing that the will to sign is so strong that the other person will give in. It's important to consider the pros and cons of these last-minute requests to see if they're to your advantage.
   
   
8. The one-way street: here, the counterparty forces the other to negotiate against itself on the pretext that it has to do better than this. So it's best to ask for a counter-offer to find out what the other side expects.
   
   
9. Reservation: Finally, it can sometimes be interesting to take a moment, to suspend the negotiation just long enough to check something out, to come back to a point, to put one's ideas in order before returning to the negotiating table.

These approaches are just as useful in sales as they are in union, banking or other negotiation issues, and even with criminals. It's not easy to master everything, but by understanding these mechanics and grasping a few of them, you'll find it easier to negotiate the purchase of a home as much as the establishment of a business partnership.

Running time: 28min16

Image: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay