Negotiation - Winning against every bargaining style

There are many bargaining styles and approaches — as many as there are negotiators — but you will see some approaches and tactics that are common among both sellers and buyers.

I see a spectrum of styles, and for each a specific approach to respond effectively and transition to a more productive interaction model.

Here is a quick summary of the styles, how they each approach negotiation, and the strategy I’ve found to be most effective in moving people to collaborate.

Our goal, regardless of who we are negotiating with, is to reach collaboration. If your buyer is on the coercive end of the spectrum, you’ll need to defuse them before trying to transition to a productive conversation. Even with Competitors, you have to be really clear on what you're willing to give and what you want to get in return. Be prepared to resist the pressure to cave into insistent demands.

Here are some key points to consider:

• Collaborate is the most productive style, and you will get better outcomes if you transition the negotiation to that model.

• You have to play the game you’re facing, so be prepared to respond in kind to what you are facing.

• Negotiators will often transition their style - from aggressive (Coerce) to more accommodating (Compete, Cooperate).   Anticipate this, and don’t get surprise with an initial Coerce approach.

• Sellers are guilty of switching styles as well, which is not well received by the buyer.  Sellers are often very Cooperative, even Conceding throughout the entire sales process.  But when they start negotiating commercial terms, they become Competitive (or even Coercive), which takes the buyer by surprise and can erase months of effort in building relationships and goodwill.

There is no perfect response to every style or negotiation scenario.  But knowing what you might face helps you prepare and not be caught off guard by hyper-aggressive approaches.