How To Be A Great Negotiator

Robert
Treborlang
Australia

How To Be A Great Negotiator
In other countries negotiating means wanting to get an advantage over your opponent. The Japanese may prolong discussions for three or four years over a simple point under the guise of wishing to make a unanimous decision. Russians make sure they appear virtually abuse-proof and will come back cheerfully no matter how many times they get knocked back. The French will wine and dine you until you are so softened up that all your will to fight has drained out of your fibres. The Americans will just want to bribe you, bribe your superiors, your superiors' superiors, your family, their families, everyone's in-laws and anyone who happens to be delivering the morning papers.

  Australians, by contrast, have decided to cut all the crap. Here, you see, people don't feel they need any of these advantages over their opponents since they already have one by being Australian.

  Make it clear right from the start that you are a great negotiator who never gives an inch in any transaction. It will impress all those Australians you don't have any dealings with and gives fair warning to those with whom you do.

  Develop a no-nonsense uncompromising attitude. Act tough and scowl a lot. Appear completely in charge of the situation you don't understand.

  "I convened this meeting to discuss the situation."
  "Sure."
  "We want work bans on all existing delicatessens."
  "If you wish."
  "No deliveries of sausages, salamis or sauerkraut."
  "Okay by us."
  "Delighted to see you're taking such a sensible attitude."
  "Actually we're here to remove all the old pot plants."

  Always state your demands up front. Make sure you do it in a forthright aggressive manner while walking in through the door.

  "We want $2.15 per item."
  "Well..."
  "And won't take anything under $2.10."
  "But..."
  "Unless you make a firm offer of $2.00."

  Should you happen to negotiate with Greeks there's always a good chance that sometime between the start and close of proceedings they'll get up and announce that the whole process doesn't interest them anyway, they're sorry to have gotten into it in the first place, that it was a misunderstanding all along, they don't really wish to buy, sell or settle anything. This has a pretty poor effect on your self-confidence and soon you find yourself happy to agree to whatever they say.

  The Chinese concept of negotiating takes a totally different course. To begin with they'll confess that their dearest wish is to make the decision in your favour but unfortunately the verdict never depends just on them, there are others to be considered too who haven't made up their minds yet and so they'll wear you down by coming back dozens of times to ascertain price, conditions or terms. The net effect of all this, especially when stretched over a few years, is to have you crawling for mercy.

  Unlike these complex practices, the rules of Australian negotiating are simple and straightforward and you must never distinguish between underlings and people with real influence and power since being an Australian you do not approve of such inequality. Treat them all the same. Be firm but in a vacillating uncertain sort of manner. State your demands up front in strong aggressive tones, for instance, then look quickly around the room to see if you've done the right thing. Do not forget to cave in at the slightest conflict, of angry words or bluffing from your opponents on the grounds that you might uspet them and then the deal might even be called off. Sign whatever is placed in front of you. Call whatever you end up with a great victory for Aussie diplomacy.

  An alternative school of Australian negotiating states that it's probably best not to negotiate at all, to have nothing to do with one's opponents, rivals or competitors, that it's better to ignore them completely:

  "No one is going to tell us what to do," is the catch-cry of this school. No one, that is, except for the Americans, the Japanese, the Poms, the Indonesians, the IMF, the World Heritage Council, the World Bank, the Unions and the rich.

Copyright © 1991-2003 - Robert Treborlang

Robert
Treborlang
Australia

Roddy The Rooster & Friends

Site
by
JMV

Search | Home | Contents | Books

A Hop Through Australia's History