| Power Negotiators know that anytime the other side | | | | right, I guess I can do that too.' Ever since then, it's |
| asks you for a concession in the negotiations, you | | | | been one darn thing after another. Now it looks as |
| should automatically ask for something in return. Let's | | | | though the whole thing is going to fall apart on me." He |
| look at a couple of ways of using the Trade-Off | | | | should have known up front that when the other |
| Gambit:o Let's say that you have sold your house, and | | | | person asked him for that first small concession, he |
| the buyers ask you if they could move some of their | | | | should have asked for something in return. "If we can |
| furniture into the garage three days before closing. | | | | do that for you, what can you do for us?"I trained the |
| Although you wouldn't want to let them move into the | | | | top 50 salespeople at a Fortune 50 company that |
| house before closing, you see an advantage in letting | | | | manufactures office equipment. They have what they |
| them use the garage. It will get them emotionally | | | | call a Key Account Division that negotiates their largest |
| involved and far less likely to create problems for you | | | | accounts with their biggest customers. These people |
| at closing. So you're almost eager to make the | | | | are heavy hitters. A salesperson at the seminar had |
| concession, but I want you to remember the rule: | | | | just made a $43 million sale to an aircraft |
| However small the concession they're asking you for, | | | | manufacturer. (That's not a record. When I trained |
| always ask for something in return. Say to them, "Let | | | | people at a huge computer manufacturer's training |
| me check with my family and see how they feel | | | | headquarters, a salesperson in the audience had just |
| about that, but let me ask you this: If we do that for | | | | closed a $3 billion dollar sale-and he was in my seminar |
| you, what will you do for us?"o Perhaps you sell | | | | taking notes!) This Key Account Division had its own |
| forklifts and you've sold a large order to a warehouse | | | | vice-president, and he came up to me afterward to tell |
| style hardware store. They've requested delivery on | | | | me, "Roger, that thing you told us about trading-off |
| August 15-30 days ahead of their grand opening. Then | | | | was the most valuable lesson I've ever learned in any |
| the operations manager for the chain calls you and | | | | seminar. I've been coming to seminars like this for |
| says, "We're running ahead of schedule on the store | | | | years and thought that I'd heard it all, but I'd never been |
| construction. We're thinking of moving up the store | | | | taught what a mistake it is to make a concession |
| opening to take in the Labor Day weekend. Is there | | | | without asking for something in return. That's going to |
| any way you could move up delivery of those fork | | | | save us hundreds of thousands of dollars in the |
| lifts to next Wednesday?" You may be thinking, "That's | | | | future."Jack Wilson, who produced my video training |
| great. They're sitting in our local warehouse ready to | | | | tapes, told me that soon after I taught him this Gambit, |
| go, so I'd much rather move up the shipment and be | | | | he used it to save several thousand dollars. A |
| paid sooner. We'll deliver them tomorrow if you want | | | | television studio called him and told him that one of their |
| them." Although your initial inclination is to say, "That's | | | | camera operators was sick. Would Jack mind if they |
| fine," I still want you to use the Trade-Off Gambit. I | | | | called one of the camera operators that Jack had |
| want you to say, "Quite frankly I don't know whether | | | | under contract and ask him if he could fill in? It was just |
| we can get them there that soon. I'll have to check | | | | a courtesy call. Something that Jack would have said, |
| with my scheduling people, and see what they say | | | | "No problem," to in the past. However, this time he said, |
| about it. But let me ask you this, if we can do that for | | | | "If I do that for you, what will you do for me?" To his |
| you, what can you do for us?"One of three things is | | | | surprise, they said, "Tell you what. The next time you |
| going to happen when you ask for something in | | | | use our studio, if you run overtime, we'll waive the |
| return:1. You might just get something. The buyers of | | | | overtime charge." They had just conceded several |
| your house may be willing to increase the deposit, buy | | | | thousand dollars to Jack, on something that he never |
| your patio furniture, or give your dog a good home. | | | | would have asked for in the past.Please use this |
| The hardware storeowners may just have been | | | | Gambit word for word the way that I'm teaching them |
| thinking, "Boy, have we got a problem here. What can | | | | to you. If you change even a word, it can dramatically |
| we give them as an incentive to get them to move | | | | change the effect. If, for example, you change this |
| this shipment up?" So, they may just concede | | | | from, "If we can do that for you what can you do for |
| something to you. They may just say, "I'll tell accounting | | | | us?" to "If we do that for you, you will have to do this |
| to cut the check for you today." Or "Take care of this | | | | for us," you have become confrontational. You've |
| for me, and I'll use you again for the store that we're | | | | become confrontational at a very sensitive point in the |
| opening in Chicago in December."2) By asking for | | | | negotiations-when the other side is under pressure and |
| something in return, you elevate the value of the | | | | is asking you for a favor. Of course, you're tempted to |
| concession. When you're negotiating, why give | | | | take advantage of this situation and ask for something |
| anything away? Always make the big deal out of it. | | | | specific in return. Don't do it. It could cause the |
| You may need that later. Later you may be doing the | | | | negotiation to blow up in your face.When you ask |
| walk through with the buyers of the house, and | | | | what they will give you in return, they may say, "Not a |
| they've found a light switch that doesn't work. You're | | | | darn thing," or "You get to keep our business, that's |
| able to say, "Do know how it inconvenienced us to let | | | | what you get." That's fine, because you had everything |
| you move your furniture into the garage? We did that | | | | to gain by asking and you haven't lost anything. If |
| for you, and now I want you to overlook this small | | | | necessary, you can always revert to a position of |
| problem." Later you may need to be able to go to the | | | | insisting on a trade-off by saying, "I don't think I can get |
| people at the hardware store and say, "Do you | | | | my people to agree to that unless you're prepared to |
| remember last August when you needed me to move | | | | accept a charge for expedited shipping" or "unless |
| that shipment up for you? You know how hard I had | | | | you're willing to move up the payment date."Key points |
| to talk to my people to get them to re-schedule all our | | | | to remember:o When asked for a small concession by |
| shipments? We did that for you, so don't make me | | | | the other side, always ask for something in return.o |
| wait for our money. Cut me the check today, won't | | | | Use this expression: "If we can do that for you, what |
| you?" When you elevate the value of the concession, | | | | can you do for me?"o You may just get something in |
| you set it up for a trade-off later.3) It stops the grinding | | | | return.o It elevates the value of the concession so that |
| away process. This is the key reason why you should | | | | you can use it as a trade-off later.o Most important, it |
| always use the Trade-Off Gambit. If they know that | | | | stops the grinding away process.o Don't change the |
| every time they ask you for something, you're going to | | | | wording and ask for something specific in return |
| ask for something in return, then it stops them | | | | because it's too confrontational.Roger Dawson |
| constantly coming back for more. I can't tell you how | | | | Founder of the Power Negotiating Institute |
| many times a student of mine has come up to me at | | | | 800-932-9766 |
| seminar or called my office and said to me, "Roger, | | | | Dawson is the author of two of Nightingale-Conant's |
| can you help me with this? I thought I had a | | | | best selling audiocassette programs, Secrets of Power |
| sweetheart of a deal put together. I didn't think that I | | | | Negotiating and Secrets of Power Negotiating for |
| would have any problems at all with this one. But in the | | | | Salespeople. This article is excerpted in part from |
| very early stages, they asked me for a small | | | | Roger Dawson's new book - "Secrets of Power |
| concession. I was so happy to have their business that | | | | Negotiating", published by Career Press and on sale in |
| I told them, 'Sure, we can do that.' A week later they | | | | bookstores everywhere for $24.99. |
| called me for another small concession, and I said: 'All | | | | |