Two more ploys involve putting pressure on a negotiation in order to force concessions and/or hasty decisions that may lead to bad or unexpected results.
Here, real competition or competitive offerings are used as a type of shill in the negotiation. This tactic works, for example, when trying to choose a cell phone carrier. You might visit several wireless providers to hear their offers. When you find one that seems to suit you best, mention that you also looked into Company B and were quoted a rate that you’re seriously considering. Nine times out of ten, you’ll get another offer right away. Simply continue this approach until the best deal presents itself.
Suppose the roles reverse; your counterparty is presenting several competitive options to get a better deal out of you. You feel the pressure. However, you may or may not know what the competitors actually offer (if you’re prepared, you will know!). If you’re not completely up to speed on the competitors, ask for some details on the other offers. Find out if there’s a “value proposition” where some other feature, such as data service or reception coverage, is diminished in order to produce the good price. If the counterparty doesn’t know, he may have been bluffing all along; if he does know, you’ll learn a lot more about the competition. If you determine that the competitive offers are real and valid, negotiate accordingly; if you find out they’re not, well, negotiate accordingly.
Deadlines—either intermediate or final—can be used not only to keep a negotiation on track but also to put pressure on negotiators. Especially with today’s fast-paced negotiations, deadlines may be in a day, in a few hours, or even in a few minutes—there’s almost always a deadline somewhere.
As a high-pressure tactic, deadlines, especially if not mutually agreed on beforehand, are often used to ask for last-minute concessions. People are naturally more willing to compromise when facing time restraints. When too much is coming at us all at once, it’s easier to get rid of the most immediate and stressing factor(s) than to take the time to work them out. Have a labor contract expiring next Monday? You’d better be prepared to make some concessions to get the revision done.
Naturally, the first line of defense against this ploy is to make sure the deadline is real. Deadlines, especially unilateral deadlines set by one party, may be real or may be arbitrary as part of a tactic to push a deal. Probe the origin and reason for the deadline by asking questions. Ask for flexibility in the deadline also; rarely are time-based reasons absolute. The answers can give you an idea whether the deadline is real and can also indicate whether the deadline itself is a negotiating point.
Some deadlines may be more informal or made out of convenience than others. “I have to catch a flight at three o’clock this afternoon” indicates a deadline, but perhaps not an insurmountable one as a later flight may be available or the discussion can continue online. Again, a few questions—and a willingness to offer a concession to entice the counterparty to stay longer—might help.