When a buyer and a seller negotiate over a deal it is in the interest of each party to get the best deal possible. Here are the four most common tactics buyers use in a negotiation in order to get to the best deal possible.

The Russian Front

This is a tactic whereby the buyer presents the seller with only two options.  One is so terrible; it feels like being sent to the Russian Front which makes you agree to the other options. Compared to the first option the second option does not look that bad now.

Don’t make the other party put you under pressure, don’t accept either option. Ask for an alternative or come up with a counter proposal. Negotiation Consultants Sydney

Good guy bad guy

In this tactic you have one person making very high demands. This person is also often cold an unapproachable. The aim is to intimidate the selling party. The good guy on the other hand has a more reasonable approach and shows a willingness to concede and come to a deal.

The purpose of this tactic is to set the expectations high by the bad guy and intimidate the other party.

Remember they are on the same team and playing a game to get the best deal, hence the good guy is not on your side.

Just one more thing

Remember Columbo? He interviews the murder suspect and starts to leave the room; you can see some relief in the face of the suspect and suddenly Columbo turns around with “Just one more thing”.

This tactic is used at the end of the negotiation when you are just about to agree to a deal. The other party then comes up with one more request and because it is at the end of the negotiation and in particular if it has taken a long time to get there the selling party is often inclined to agree to the request in order to get the deal done.

If the request by the buyer is significant it can lead to overthrowing the whole deal and commencing the negotiation again or in the extreme case it can come to a deadlock. Negotiation Training

The loss leader

The other party is trying to convince you this time they should sell to you at a loss as there will be more volumes further down the track. They sometimes also try to use their brand as a push, meaning that you can use their brand to advertise to other clients that you do work with them.

The reality is, never sell under price, what they promise might not come true and finally if they want your product then they will pay for it.