“Take It or Leave it”: A Tactic That Takes Many Forms

There are four very different situations in which negotiators may find themselves confronted with a “take it or leave it” proposal.

The “Precondition”

The negotiations are not yet fully under way and already your counterpart is imposing conditions: “Unless you delete that clause on page 7 of your quote, we won’t be able to take things any further.” You try to open up the dialogue, to take an overview of the other party’s expectations, but he instantly returns to this narrow demand. “If we can’t agree on this issue, it’s not even worth wasting our breath on the rest.” In reality, this is your opponent’s way of obtaining a free concession at the outset, putting you in a position of weakness and thereby exercising easy control over further transactions.

The “Matter of Principle”

Certain negotiators excel in manipulating principles, both major and minor: “I never pay additional charges for such equipment. For me it’s a matter of principle.” The strength of the “matter of principle” resides in its not being open to debate: Questioning it equates to arguing with your counterpart in an area where no argument is admissible in her eyes.

The “Budget Limit”

As discussed in chapter 9, this tactic allows the buyer to impose a price ceiling on the seller while avoiding any cross-examination of technical and logical arguments in which she would not be sure to have the last word. By imposing a minimum amount per order or per delivery, the seller can sometimes place the buyer in a similar position.

The “Final Offer”

The negotiator wants to end all the exhausting haggling by making one final concession and quoting a specific final offer that he is prepared to accept.