Maybe I was old enough, or I had lost enough verbal battles
to conclude that there had to be a better way. It was finally brought home to
me after yet another unsatisfactory finish to a negotiation with a Taiwan
merchant’s sales representative.
What he had learned was that Americans, and maybe many
others, could not abide a round of bargaining that stalled just short of
consummation. When faced with what I took to be a failure on my part I
inevitably conceded or offered a less self-satisfactory alternative.
After an embarrassing series of such meetings I decided to
try a different close. When all but one aspect of an agreement had been
completed, a particular manufacturer’s rep, wearing his best innocent smile,
“looked” for me to nod. Instead I just returned his smile. This standoff lasted
a very long 30 seconds. He was on commission and decided he had more too lose.
Over time I found this tactic (just shy of being a strategy)
very effective, and not only in business. You and your friend are discussing
what movie to see. Go silent and see what happens.
It certainly doesn’t always work. Often I broke the silence
and changed the subject. Still, if properly handled the downside is small.
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