Negotiation Tactics

[ni-goh-shee-ey-shuh n] [tak-tiks]

Negotiation tactics are the detailed methods employed by negotiators to gain an advantage. Negotiation tactics are often deceptive and manipulative. Often, negotiators use negotiation tactics to fulfill their own goals and objectives. This is often to the detriment of others, making most tactics in use today “win-lose” by nature.

We would like to caution negotiators to only make use of ethical negotiation tactics. We would advise thinking first about the context of your negotiation (e.g. car, house, commercial negotiations) and relationship (family, friends, strangers). When buying or selling a car or house to a stranger, these contexts are ideal for using a wider array of tactics. Whereas when selling the same car or house to a family member, you should of course carefully consider the long-term impact on your relationship and reputation before employing tactics.

When negotiators learn how to better collaborate together to achieve more mutual win-win outcomes, the attraction for negotiation tactics recedes. It is, however, worth learning how to identify and defend yourself against negotiation tactics.

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