To deal with this tactic

· Restate the demand in terms that are most acceptable to you.

· Reinforce you expectation level. State your objective as reaching a fair and reasonable agreement that satisfies the interests of both parties, that such agreement is necessary if we are going to do business together (your ability to walk out).

Play acting

Some negotiators use emotional responses such as getting angry, raising their voices. The key effect of this strategy is the surprise it creates. The tactic may instill feelings of guilt. Sometimes negative comments are made about you or your company. Language is intensified. To make you to lower your expectations, to cause you to make concessions to prove you aren’t as bad as they seem to think you are.

To deal with this tactic:

· Don’t be thrown off guard and begin to experience feeling of guilt.

· The best response to an emotional strategy is either no response and a pause to allow them to continue when you don’t respond as expected, or wait for the moment to pass, then restate the last point you made, and ask the other party to clarify their concern.

· Ask if there are additional concerns not yet covered that could account for such strong feeling.

· If the emotion won’t abate, request a break until things can be discussed calmly.

Take it or leave it

The tactic is an attempt to undercut you feelings of power in negotiation and to lower your expectations

The other side often suggests that it has already achieved the objectives desired through negotiations with one of your competitors. Another application of this tactic, which is used early in the negotiation process, forces you towards one issue and away from the other components of the deal.

Dealing with this tactic:

· To counteract this tactic you must have a complete understanding of the cost side of your deal and be responsive to the guidelines set in your planning process.

· If you are presented with a deal that you know cannot work for you, chances are good that it cannot work for any of your competitors either.

· Respond by summarizing your benefits.

· To be effective against this strategy, you must be ready to walk away from the deal that is clearly unprofitable.