How Do You Apply Golden Rule No. 2 When Things Get Difficult?

It is precisely under circumstances in which your counterpart is in a strong position that Golden Rule No. 2 is most crucial. The “negotiating” phase can cost you dearly otherwise. Consequently, if you are acting as a seller, you must abide by three principles:

1. Postpone the “negotiating” phase for as long as possible by delaying announcement and discussion of the price, by arguing at length over each request for a concession, by repeating your main arguments in different ways, and by asking the customer to provide a detailed justification and evidence for each of his requests for concessions.
2. Focus your arguments on the product (or, better still, on your customer’s needs) rather than on the price: The more the buyer sees you as distinctive, the greater your chance of reducing the pressure.
3. Try to seal the deal immediately after you have presented a strong argument. If that does not work, then try again.

If you are a buyer:

1. Argue so as to give legitimacy to your demands.
2. Put the seller’s arguments into perspective. Demonstrate that, to your eyes, despite certain distinctions, the various offers are very similar from a technical viewpoint.
3. If necessary, feign technical incompetence. Discourage the seller from discussing her product with you in order to oblige her to move onto the terrain of pricing.