As one of television's best

negotiators, Harvey Specter

exemplifies many of the key traits
and techniques that are necessary
for successful negotiations

He provides valuable insights into

rapport building, persuasion, and
influence. His tactics and strategies
have been studied and emulated
by many real-world negotiators.

Here are the top 5 steps to

change your outcome
Chris Donnelly
In negotiation ‘coinage’ is the term
used to describe this, this is the thing
that doesn’t cost you a lot, but is of
immense value to the other party.

Example: You know the other party's

budget limit.

In negotiations, information is power

and only when wielded silently.
Revealing your coinage reduces it’s
effectiveness.

A chess player strategizes and executes moves

without revealing their plan

Chris Donnelly
Tony Robbins highlights six basic
human needs: Certainty,
Uncertainty, Significance, Love,
Growth, and Giving

Appealing to these needs can be

used as bargaining power.

Example: A hostage negotiator will

appeal to the captor's need for giving
or significance.

Chris Donnelly
There are 6 other sources of
bargaining power that you might not
even realise you hold.

Niche market power

Flexibility
Scarce Resource Control
Networking Power
'Coinage'
Reputation

This list is not exhaustive, get

creative and find your leverage.

Chris Donnelly
Although Harvey's rejection of his own
emotions may not be the healthiest,
emotions do play a crucial role in
negotiation.

Adapt your negotiation approach

based on individual behaviours

For emotionally-driven negotiators:

Engage with their passions to
identify coinage

For tough aggressive negotiators:

Use emotional questions, how'd
they feel in a similar situation?
"I feel" can be more impactful than "I think" in
certain circumstances.

Chris Donnelly
Every opponent has unique
motivations and behaviors
Here are some approaches for
different types of opponents:
Detail-oriented people:
Use spreadsheets, documents,
extensive information
Mismatchers:
Request proposals from them
Encourage them to identify
specific problems
Big-picture enthusiasts:
Get them to visualise the grand
outcome or achievement

Chris Donnelly
Some negotiations can start to stall,
and need a shock to the system to
get going again.

Take a break
resume discussions after a recess
Provide options
it's hard to reject both
Use hypotheticals
"If I agreed to X, would you do Y?"
Alter the pattern
New people, environment, or venue.

“When you're backed against the wall, break

the goddamn thing down.”

Chris Donnelly
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Chris Donnelly