商务英语谈判对话 04-08

Chapter 8

The Non-Dealer 谈判傀儡

...

Peter: This is an excellent offer. I don't know why you don't just accept it.

Paula: It's not even close to reasonable, and you know it.

...(对话详见 Disk 2-5)

For Your Information(背景介绍)

If negotiations are a part of your job, you'll definitely run into these guys from time to time. These are people who attend or even set up negotiation sessions just to make it appear as if they're willing to bargain, when they really aren't. Their idea of give and take is you give and I take.

They're easy to spot. In most situations, the parties state what they're willing to do to make the deal, then make adjustments, moving closer to the other's position until they match. The non-dealer spends his time talking about everything except the deal, or why his offer is already so good you'd be a fool not to accept it.

I've negotiated with a non-dealer several times and it's always been the same. Sometimes, he listened to everything I said and repeated his offer. Other times, he'd say our two offers were very close anyway, and suggest I give a little and accept his offer. He would tell me how nice a guy he is and I should take his offer for that reason, or that he might have made an even worse offer so I should be happy with what I got.

Non-dealers aren't fools; they're actually very clever. The strategy is to wear you down to the point you just give up and agree to his terms, and it works. Most people are fair and assume others are too. They come to the table to make a deal and expect everyone is trying to play fair. As the talks go on, their desire to make the deal work becomes stronger and they become so frustrated that they're willing to do anything to make a deal.

That's when the non-dealer makes a concession, ususally it's something he already has to do anyway or a hollow gesture that doesn't mean anything. But it's a concession, and the other side is eager to end the talks so they jump on it and walk away happy that they got something. Later, when they examine the deal they made, they may realize they got nothing. Or, they just give in or walk away empty handed.

Thankfully, few people negotiate like this. They're ususally well known and unpopular. A simple background check should tell you if you're going up against one. They're tough to beat. Countering them with a better offer sends a signal to the non-dealer that they are winning. The only way to beat a non-dealer is to use his own game against him.

Once I had a client who was in a bad way with no room to maneuver. I made our best offer and remained as firm as the non-dealer. After two hours of no movement, the non-dealer made a counter offer. It wasn't what I was supposed to get but it was a lot more than anyone else ever got. If you're representing someone else, you should tell that client about this situation so he can accept the counter. If it comes, he's unlikely to leave it on the table for long. If he looks at his counter offer too closely, he'll see it as a defeat and take it back. Any concession from a non-dealer is a win. I recomend taking the offer just for the bragging rights.