The positional negotiation focused on price follows a dynamic quite similar to the one represented in the cartoon.
Under what circumstances does it arise?
Two people, seller and buyer, confront each other to exchange a product (physical or not) for money: the value at which the exchange takes place is fixed through subsequent positions taken by each party.
In this type of negotiation, the one who has the upper hand is usually the party who has the money: the seller, on the other hand, is forced to be on the defence and frequently ends up accepting the conditions imposed by the buyer.
Positional negotiation focused on price is very much part of everyday life and we all make extensive use of it, with alternate success, to limit purchasing costs.
For those who this type of negotiation represents a sort of malediction are companies and, above all, salespeople; they often end up being pushed into the “price corner” and pounded like steaks until the client has reached his goal, which is to pay as little as possible.
Maybe less than originally planned.
Mindful of the blows I took when I was young, from which I still haven’t fully recovered, I’d like to do something to preserve the physical safety of so many good sales professionals.
So, I decided to write this short post to share some warning signs that allowed me in the past to understand in time if the negotiation would take the price direction, and to take appropriate precautions.
Let’s take a brief look at what these signals might be.
I have selected 7 of them:
Do you recognize in the ones I’ve described at least one situation in which you’ve run into?
Can you suggest a strategy to avoid coming out battered from the battle?
If you want to learn more about positional negotiation read the book “Getting to Yes”.