Herb Cohen on Negotiation
In its October 30 issue of last year, Fortune had a squib on negotiation expert Herb Cohen's favorite lines for use at appropriate moments in a negotiation. As you read through the list below (slightly edited), you may think, as I did, that these lines are old and hoary. But, on second thought, they can be deployed effectively because their intent (in italics) is not defeated even if the other party is quite familiar with them."How did you come up with that number?"
You invite the other person to share his/her thoughts — valuable if you're not a mindreader.
"Where were we?"
Look like you care, but not that much.
"Let me check with my wife/husband/boss/banker, etc."
Helps you steer away from saying yes prematurely.
"Hunh?"
Pretend you don't understand. The other person will speak. You get more information, and the other person is less able to get away with unfair tactics.
"If things change, give me a call."
Be willing to walk away, and put the burden on the other party to come up with a reasonable proposal.
For a persuasive counterpoint to Cohen's views on one particular aspect of negotiations, namely the role of deadlines, you can have a look at this Harvard business school note.
Labels: Negotiation
posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:02 PM
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