Combatting dirty tricks in sales negotiations

Three negotiation dirty tricks and how a salesperson might counter them

In most complex sales, both the salesperson and the customer are interested in achieving a win-win result because the relationship has existed and will continue to exist in the future. So attempting to gain some short-term advantage, particularly by trickery, does not make a lot of sense for either side.

However, from time to time there are exceptions to the rule. In some cases, the exception is by intent, while in others it’s because the person considers the action to be a negotiation tactic – not a dirty trick.

But in the end, a dirty trick is a dirty trick, so it makes good sense to know one when you run into one and to know how to handle it. Let’s take a look at some of the “better” ones.

By the way, the reason for taking a look is so we can be aware and counter the trick, not so we can master the trick.

“Just one more thing!”

Trick. After everything has been tied down in the negotiation and it’s now time to close the deal, one party says – “Before we wrap this up there is just one more little thing we need.”  The temptation is since it’s a done deal what is just one more little thing – so you toss it in.  Sometimes the “one more thing” comment pops up again after the first one – this time with an apology.

Counter. Establish upfront that nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to.

“Ok, but I’ve got to check with higher authority!”

Trick. After having reached an agreement, one party says, “Good. What we just agreed to sounds great. I think this whole thing looks good, but as you probably know, I just need to clear our concessions with my boss.” Of course, the boss, who might not even be involved, says they need a couple more things before wrapping everything up.

Counter. The best counter strategy for this one is to prevent it from occurring in the first place by verifying the level of authority before the negotiation is started.

“Surely you can at least agree to …”

Trick. Here, the idea is to start with a series of high-ball requests you know the other side cannot agree to, so they have to say no several times. Then you say, “Well, at least if you are serious you can agree to this small concession.” The idea is to make the other side seem unreasonable and then request something that is less but is still substantial.

Counter. The answer is to know what is reasonable and what isn’t, and if the other party starts with a way-out concession, call them on in. Stop the trick before it gets started.

In addition to these tricks, there are spin-offs on the old standbys, such as phony facts, false deadlines, and the old good cop/bad cop play.

Although these tricks seem straightforward, they can be very subtle and effective if carried out skillfully as part of a complex sale. It’s also important to recognize that sometimes these things occur and they are not tricks – for example, there could be some real reason for a tight deadline.

Most of these tricks can be easily handled as long as you are aware of when what is being said is a trick.