Your job when faced with someone like this in a negotiation is to discover what they do not know and supply that information. –Never split the difference, p.234 Continue reading People operating with incomplete information appear crazy to those who have different information.
It is when we hear or see something that doesn’t make sense – something “crazy” – that a crucial fork in the road is presented: push forward, even more forcefully, into that which we initially can’t process; or take the other path, the one to guaranteed failure. […] when we’re most ready to throw our hands up and declare “They’re crazy!” is often the best moment for discovering Black Swans that transform a negotiation. –Never split the difference, p.232 Continue reading It is when we hear or see something that doesn’t make sense – something “crazy” – that you need to push forward, even more forcefully.
We’re all hungry for a map to joy, and when someone is courageous enough to draw it for us, we naturally follow. So when you ascertain your counterpart’s unattained goals, invoke. your own power and follow-ability by expressing passion for their goals – and for their ability to achieve them. –Never split the difference, p.231 Continue reading Show your ability to help someone attain their goal and they will follow you.
People trust those who are in their in-group. Belonging is a primal instinct. And if you can trigger that instinct, that sense that, “Oh, we see the world the same way,” then you immediately gain influence. Use that to your advantage. Subtly highlight some similarities with your counterpart. –Never split the difference, p.229 Continue reading The similarity principle
Knowing your counterpart’s religion is more than just gaining normative leverage per se. Rather, it’s gaining a holistic understanding of your counterpart’s worldview. It’s extremely effective in large part because it has authority over them. The other guy’s “religion” is what the market, the experts, God, or society – whatever matters to him – has determined to be fair or just. –Never split the difference, p.228 Continue reading Know your counterpart’s religion
That’s why I say there’s always leverage: as an essentially emotional concept, it can be manufactured whether it exists or not. If they’re talking to you, you have leverage. Who has leverage in a kidnapping? The kidnapper or the victim’s family? Most people think the kidnapper has all the leverage.. But how many buyers do the kidnappers have for the commodity they are trying to sell? –Never split the difference, p.221 Continue reading It often doesn’t matter what leverage actually exists against you; what really matters is the leverage they think you have on them.
In negotiation, there are those things we don’t know that we don’t know, pieces of information we’ve never imagined but that would be game changing if uncovered. Maybe our counterpart wants the deal to fail because he’s leaving for a competitor. Hypothesize that in every negotiation each side is in possession of at least three Black Swans. Always ask yourself: “Why are they communicating what they are communicating right now?” Sometimes, your counterpart might be oblivious to a Black Swan or unaware of its importance. –Never split the difference, p.219 Continue reading Be on the lookout for Black Swans
When the pressure is on, you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to your highest level of preparation. So design an ambitious but legitimate goal and then game out the labels, calibrated questions, and responses you’ll use to get there. –Never split the difference, p.211 Continue reading Prepare, prepare, prepare.
It’s an offer-counteroffer method, at least on the surface. But it’s a very effective system for beating the usual lackluster bargaining dynamic, which has the predictable result of meeting in the middle. It’s 4 steps: Set your target price (your goal). Set your first offer at 65% of your target price. Calculate three raises of decreasing increments (to 85, 95 and 100 percent). Use lots of empathy and different ways of saying “No” to get the other side to counter before you increase your offer. When calculating the final amount, use precise, nonround numbers like, say, $37,893 rather than $38,000. … Continue reading Ackerman Bargaining
If you feel you can’t say “No” then you’ve taken yourself hostage. Once you’re clear on what your bottom line is, you have to be willing to walk away. Never be needy for a deal. –Never split the difference, p.204 Continue reading No neediness: Having the ready-to-walk mindset
Roadmap to Billions 