NEGOTIATION STYLES,

STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
 MODULE CONTENTS

• 1.0 NEGOTIATION STYLES

• 2.0 NEGOTIATON STRATEGIES

• 3.0 NEGOTIATION TACTICS

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 1.0 NEGOTIATION STYLES

• Negotiators can adopt a HARD or SOFT

style in negotiations.

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 HARD NEGOTIATORS

• HARD Negotiators are HIGHLY

COMPETITIVE

• Take negotiations as a CONTEST OF WILLS

• Fight to WIN and AT ALL COSTS

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 SOFT NEGOTIATORS
• SOFT Negotiators AVOID PERSONAL
CONFLICT
• Ready to MAKE CONCESSIONS
• Willing to reach AMICABLE and
MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL SOLUTIONS
• May end up disappointed and bitter when
faced with a Hard Negotiator.

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 NEGOTIATION STYLES AND SKILLS

NEGOTIATION STYLE NEGOTIATION SKILLS

Style of Behaviour used in • Effective
negotiations: Communications
• Accommodating • Assertiveness
• Confrontational • The Questioning
• Conciliatory Technique
• Collaborative

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 2.0 NEGOTIATION STRATEGY

• An approach used by parties to achieve a

specific objective

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 3.0 NEGOTIATION TACTICS

• The detailed methods used by parties to

gain an advantage over the other parties.
• Tactics tend to be deceptive and
manipulative

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 3.0 NEGOTIATION
STRATEGIES

Two major types:

COMPETITIVE / DISTRIBUTIVE

or

COLLABORATIVE / INTEGRATIVE
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 3.1 COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES
• Using this strategy, Negotiators want to
win.
• Tend to be eager, enthusiastic and
impatient.
• Do not feel bad about conflict
• Seek to control the agenda and frame the
issues
• Stick to an ambitious position and fight
back if they feel intimidated or bullied.
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 3.1 COMPETING STRATEGIES:
ADVANTAGES
• Not afraid to advance
their point of view
• Fight hard to get the
biggest share of the cake
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DISADVANTAGES
 By provoking the other side,
the risk escalation or
reaching a stalemate
 Have difficulty in
developing collaborative
relationships because they
tend to be poor listeners
 Pay a huge price in terms of
relationships
 Tend to be hard on
themselves when outcome
of negotiation is poor
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 3.2 COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES

Using this strategy, Negotiators place a lot

of value on good relationships
• Show concern for the other party
• Compassionate
• Understanding
• Quickly resolve any conflicts which arise
• Effective listeners

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 3.2 COLLABORATIVE STRATEGIES

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Prone to exploitation
• Create better through giving
relationships concessions due to threats
by hard bargaining /
competitive negotiators
• Seen as Trustworthy
Pay insufficient attention
to the substance of the
• Create a stress- free dispute as they are
environment concerned with not
disturbing a relationship

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 4.0 TACTICS
There are numerous tactics used by negotiators. Here are 20
of the most common tactics used:
• Nibbling • Big Pot
• Good cop / Bad cop • The well is dry
• Name dropping • Blanketing
• Mandated Authority • Salami
• Competition • Deadlines
• Limits • Keeping the pressure
• Psychological warfare on
• Default • Trump the Other
• Party’s Ace
Threat
• • Communication Limits
Moral Appeal
• Control the Agenda
• Cherry picking
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 4.1 NIBBLING
WHAT IT IS HOW TO RESPOND
• Also called testing • Be thorough and
boundaries explicit when
• Raising new issues specifying exactly
just when parties are what is included in the
about to conclude a deal.
deal. • When the deal looks
• E.g. we forgot …. too good, be very
suspicious. Scrutinise
it very thoroughly
• Record every
concession you have
given and remind the
Other Party about
them.
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 4.2 GOOD COP/ BAD COP
WHAT IT IS
• One negotiator
demands concessions,
another is being
reasonable.
• Idea is to lull the
other party into
thinking the good cop
is on their side
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
HOW TO RESPOND
• Call the behaviour “I
know this tactic from
police stations… let
us just get back to the
real business shall
we?’
• Concentrate only on
the bad cop and
ignore the good cop
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 4.3 NAME DROPPING
WHAT IT IS
 Also called negotiation
association
 Other party mentions that they
have done business with a
celebrity, VIP or a high profile
company
 Displaying photo of them
shaking hands with important
and famous leaders like
Obama, Mandela
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HOW TO RESPOND
 Recognise what is happening
and do not be swayed by it
 If you think the other party is
lying, ask them what they did
with the VIP, celebrity or high
profile company. If company,
ask the name and position of
the person they did business
with. If you catch them being
vague or changing the topic,
you know it was all lies meant
to hoodwink you.
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 4.4 MANDATED AUTHORITY
WHAT IT IS
• Informing you they
can only negotiate on
some issues on the
agenda and leaving
others for their bosses/
higher authority
• Informing you that
final approval can only
be granted by some
higher authority
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
HOW TO RESPOND
• Do not start any
negotiations with them
but create a
relationship with the
lower level authority.
• Do not accept the list of
issues you can
negotiate on at face
value- lest the list starts
to get longer!
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 4.5 COMPETITION
WHAT IT IS
 You are told your
competitor has offered the
same deal for a much lower
price
 You are told of your
competitors products-
sometimes the catalogue
maybe on their desk to
“prove” their word!
 “All the suppliers we deal
with give this as part of the
standard package…”
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HOW TO RESPOND
 Do not take their word for
granted. Ask who they
spoke to and make a
detailed comparison of the
“competitor’s’ products/
offer as a basis for
identifying differences with
yours.
 Scrutinise “competitor’s”
products in terms of quality,
service delivery, quantity,
payment modalities.
 Due diligence prior to the
negotiations
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 4.6 LIMITS
WHAT IT IS
• In terms of money,
time, capacity, staff
• “ Your products.
Services are fantastic
BUT we just can not
afford that kind of
money..”
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HOW TO RESPOND
• Sell the benefits of the
product/ service so as
to convince the other
party that your
products gives value
for money
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 4.7 THE WELL IS DRY
• WHAT IT IS
• You are constrained
ethically and can not
go further
• You do not believe
that the proposal by
the other party is
ethically acceptable to
you.
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
• HOW TO RESPOND
• Inform the other
party that ethics is a
relative matter
• Continue the pressure
• Use divide and rule
• Be patient
• Listen effectively
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 4.8 DEFAULT
WHAT IT IS
 You are given extra goods
with a contract or simply a
note saying they assume the
terms and conditions
attached are to your liking.
 This places the onus on you
to carefully read the
contract and return the extra
goods, failing which set a
precedent for tacit
agreement which can be
used against you in future.
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
HOW TO RESPOND
 Be firm when you get such
notes and let the other party
know that you are aware of
their intention behind the
extra goods.
 Return the extra goods and
ask them to correct the
contract.
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 4. 9 PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
• WHAT IT IS
• Takes many forms
such as escalating
demands, refusal to
negotiate,
misrepresentation,
personal attacks,
questioning the
integrity of individual
members of your team
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
• HOW TO RESPOND
• Recognise these tactics
for what they are and
refuse to budge.
• Remain calm at all
times and do not lose
your cool- as this is
what the other party
wants to achieve by
using these tactics. If
you allow yourself to
lose your cool, it will
distract the logic in
your arguments.
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 4.10 THREAT
WHAT IT IS HOW TO RESPOND
You should focus on
‘ Take it or leave it” finding out the interest
behind the demand and
collaborate to come up
with options
‘You will just have to do
Call the bluff if you suspect
better than that”
it is and say ”If we accept
your demands , are you to
prepared to sign the
contract just now?”
By how much better? And
if we do ,would you accept
we sign the contract now?
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 4.11 MORAL APPEAL
WHAT IT IS HOW TO
• ‘Our proposal is fair, RESPOND
right” • “Can you please help
• So if you disagree, us to understand a
you can be branded little bit why you
as “unfair” or think your proposal is
“wrong’ fair. Right?”
• Trade concessions. “If
we do X , then we
need you to do Y”

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 4.12 CHERRY PICKING
WHAT IT IS
Buyer shops around
and collects many bids
before approaching
you.
‘This is what your
competitors are
offering. I need you to
at least match or better
it”- playing you off
against your
competitors
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
HOW TO RESPOND
Find out who exactly
offered them the deal,
and are they offering an
identical product or
service to yours
Prior Market research
Mutual concessions “If I
give you at this price, I
want you to increase
your order”
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 4.13 BIG POT
• WHAT IT IS • HOW TO RESPOND
• The other party • Emphasize the need for
both parties to reach a
comes with high mutual agreement hence
demands initially avoid an impasse.
• Play on their fears that
hoping to get the
certain negative
most out of the consequences may happen
negotiations if they insist on their
demands- which situation
they would rather avoid
• Take a recess and come up
with counterproposals

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 4.14 BLANKETING
• WHAT IT IS • HOW TO RESPOND
• One party refuses to • Do prior research on
discuss individual all the issues so you
issues and insists on are thoroughly
discussing the whole. prepared.

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 4.15 SALAMI
• WHAT IT IS • HOW TO RESPOND
• The other party • Do prior research on
insists on discussing all the issues so you
one issue at a time- are thoroughly
the opposite of prepared.
blanketing • Be on the look out for
surprises

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 4.16 DEADLINES
• WHAT IT IS
• Takes many forms:
• The other party makes it
clear they do not have
much time to reach a deal.
• May come with packed
suitcases to negotiating
room on their way to catch
a flight by a specific time.
• May give you specific time
to consider their offer after
which it “expires”
• These and similar ones are
used to create a sense of
urgency and pressure the
other party to reach a deal.
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
• HOW TO
RESPOND
• Distinguish between
compelling or technical
deadlines- those based on
objective and verifiable
criteria( e.g. expiration date
of contract) and those that
seem to be unilateral threats.
• Always ask for an extension
of the deadline
• Suggest alternative
deadlines. ‘ I appreciate the
importance of this to you
but we will need x more
days.”
• Refuse to be hurried by the
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deadline into closing a deal.
 4.17 KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON
• WHAT IT IS
• Being persuasive:
• As the Leader, you clarify
your objectives, outline the
issues to achieve those
objectives, you identify
potential problems that
might hinder reaching
settlement.
• Do not allow anyone to
undermine your position as
you make presentation.
• Cooperate with the other
party to gain their trust
• Offer solutions leading to
achievement of your
objectives.
• Calmly respond to questions Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
• HOW TO
RESPOND
• Be thoroughly prepared
• Have a complete knowledge
of the issues under
negotiation
• Remain firm in advancing
your proposal without
closing out the other party’s
positive suggestions.
• Recognise these tactics for
what they are and be alert all
the time.
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 4.18 TRUMP THE OTHER PARTY’S ACE

• WHAT IT IS • HOW TO RESPOND

• Offering the Other Party a
last minute attractive
counter- proposal they
will accept and drop their
previous demands.
• Examples- “ I will make it
a 5 year instead of a 3 year
contract”
• ‘I will double size of
education allowances if
you drop your demands
on xxxx .”
• Analyse the counter proposal by the
Other Party to see if it is within your
priorities and objectives.
• Keep pushing the Other Party to
commit themselves to the important
things in your proposal which you
must have.
• Keep Nibbling away
• Use the Yes.. But technique
• In early stages of negotiation, you
maintain an open mind without
making any commitments.

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 4.19 COMMUNICATION LIMITS
• WHAT IT IS
• When negotiating as a
team, ensure that each
member knows what they
can and will say with
whom and at what point .
In addition , to whom they
can not talk tall.
• Establish clear lines of
communication so
members speak through
the Leader
.
Prof. Dazydelian L Banda
• HOW TO RESPOND
• Do not allow the Other Party to
have a dominant hand in preparing
the agenda. Divide this
responsibility equally between the
parties.
• Keep track of issues that are
important to you and ensure these
are discussed to your satisfaction.
• Meet the Leader of the Other Party
to trash out issues.
• Make friends with members of the
Other Party and subtly obtain
intelligence
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 4.20 CONTROL THE AGENDA

• WHAT IT IS • HOW TO
• Closely linked to RESPOND
Communication • Adopt an assertive approach
to negotiations.
Limits: • Insist that your team
• Thorough participates in framing the
agenda.
preparation to • Ensure that agenda includes
establish your goals , all issues that support the
objectives, zone of objectives you want to
possible agreement. achieve during negotiations.
• Take extreme care in
• Take the lead in ordering the agenda.
framing the agenda • Do not discuss issues for
very long times without
taking a recess

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