Six Negotiating Rules to Remember
Rule 1. If you are negotiating with a company or organization, find
a person with the authority to agree to what you are asking for.
Almost without exception, your first contact with any
company or organization is with an employee who can only
follow prescribed instructions. If you want anything differ-
ent, you must work with higher-level people to make the deal
you want. Focus your energy on finding a person empow-
ered to give you what you want. Until you find that person,
your requests are futile.
Rule 2. There is never a deal you have to make.
Before you begin any negotiation, plan your limits on the
range of what you are going to offer and what you will accept.
Avoid these dangerous self-fulfilling prophecies:“It is too good to be true.”
“I’ll never find another deal like this.”
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is exactly
that. Generally, if you negotiate from the position of scarcity,
you will have problems. Unless you are purchasing one-of-a-
kind items, there are always other possibilities. If you feel
you must make a particular deal, you run a high risk of re-
gretting it later. Before entering any negotiation, write down
for yourself your opening offer and also (depending on
whether you are the buyer or the seller) the most you are
willing to spend or the least you are willing to receive. Com-
plicated transactions involve the exchange of- goods
- services
- money
- rights
- risks
- time
Six Negotiating Rules to Remember 189Negotiating is supposed to feel a little uncomfortable.
Plunge ahead anyway. It’s OK.