Deadlines

The other person can put a time deadline into the negotiation to try to pressure us into accepting lower terms than we would otherwise have done.

If you are on the receiving end, don't just accept stated deadlines - negotiate them. Many of us do it all the time, for example with hotel rooms. Just about every hotel, for example, requires that you vacate your bedroom by 12 noon. They put it into print, trying to enhance their authority. I rarely leave before 2 pm, often later than that, without paying any extra. You might say, 'I'm meeting some customers here for lunch - using your facilities - and I want to be able to change for a meeting shortly after that. I need to use my bedroom until then; I assume that is OK.'

As I write this chapter, I have just left the Toronto Sheraton, having conducted a seminar. I checked out at 3.45 instead of 12 noon simply by saying this: 'I ran two seminars here yesterday; would you please be gracious and extend my check-out time until 4 o'clock?' They wanted me to leave by 3 o'clock, so I settled finally by leaving at 3.45.

A buyer can use deadlines like these:

  • 'Engineering insist that we agree this order by the weekend.'

  • 'My boss has to approve and I have a meeting scheduled with him for final signature in 30 minutes.'

  • 'It's now or never - we either agree right away or I will look elsewhere.'

  • 'Our client has insisted that we agree better terms from our suppliers this week.'

What should the seller do in response? They should never accept the apparent urgency of the deadline and should always test it. 'I appreciate the importance of this to you but we will need four more days - I assume we can find a way round that?' If, having tested the deadline, it is real and immovable, you can still respond and save face by asking to call your office for confirmation.

There are some deadlines the seller can use either to pre-empt or counter this particular tactic:

  • 'Our offer only lasts this week.'

  • 'Cost of materials increases this month, which means the price goes up on 1 February.'

  • 'If we don't agree to proceed by 1 February then we cannot produce the report by the end of February.'



How to Negotiate Effectively
How to Negotiate Effectively (Creating Success)
ISBN: 0749448202
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 111
Authors: David Oliver

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