He was pompous, yelled at others while putting them down, and was not well liked – most of his associates loathed him! Some wondered if that was the reason he had been stuck in the same management position for more than a decade. Besides, he was not a good deal maker – lacked insight on how to use power. He used intimidation tactics with his subordinates (ie, you better do this or else), and veiled threats to trick his peers into getting what he wanted. They all collectively swore that they would take revenge on him. And one day they did.

Do you know how to be a powerful negotiator?

Power sources and how to use them:

voice inflection – There is power, or lack thereof, in the way you speak. You can make a statement that sounds like a question or a question that sounds like a statement simply by the inflection of your voice. To sound stronger, apply a deeper tone to your voice by emphasizing words of greater importance. This is especially true when trading. A deeper tone, that’s my best price, conveys more conviction to your statement.

positioning – Whether it’s your physical proximity to others or the proximity of your words, what comes from your words impacts their perception. Therefore, be careful when you speak. If you speak after someone has delivered an enthusiastic proposal, your words may be received with less enthusiasm. The same is true of your physical proximity to others. If you are physically close to someone with power, your words will carry more weight simply because of that proximity. Others will assume that there is a sense of power bestowed on you by the person of power in the environment.

When negotiating, consider the order of your offers and your alignment with people in power. You can also make a previous offer seem better by downgrading the next one; in that case, your message indicates that the trajectory of subsequent offers will get progressively worse.

Driving – A negotiator can gain momentary power through manipulation (for this purpose, the word manipulation is neutral, it is neither good nor bad). One can use it to feed the desires of the other negotiator by embellishing the item he is looking for from you. By doing that, you increase their sense to acquire it.

To embellish an item, highlight how the other negotiator will feel and/or how they will look to others once they have purchased it. Take note of his body language as you do your summary. If you fall into a dreamlike state while smiling and becoming dreamy, you’re also imagining the great feeling you’ll experience once you’ve purchased your offer: you’ve got it! Continue down that path and extract what you are willing to give up to acquire the offer. Be careful not to turn the embellishment into a lie. That could come back to haunt you.

sympathy – Never underestimate the hidden value of sympathy. It is a factor that has influenced many negotiators. I’ve seen lower offers accepted for that. It’s easy to be nice to most people, just be nice. Warning: with some types of thugs, you will have to meet power with power. Therefore, the likability factor can be a detriment. Instead, seek to be respected: respect will be the source that gives you greater power.

You are always negotiating:

In the situation of the manager, mentioned at the beginning of this article, others did take a toll on him. It happened when his subordinates and colleagues combined forces: they informed senior management that they would no longer work with him. The manager did not realize that he had been negotiating with these people during his tenure with the company. He used the power of him backwards. And now his power was turning against him: Top management fired him.

I love watching people with power. To be specific, I watch how they use it, who they extend it to, and how they are affected by it. It is said that power does not change you, it amplifies who you really are. At that point, always keep in mind that how you treat people affects their perception of you. Therefore, if they perceive you as an ogre, they will be less willing to help you achieve your goals. Therefore, use sources of power as partners in your negotiations: they will increase the perception that you are a powerful person. That will lead to more powerful negotiation outcomes… and all will be well with the world.

Remember, you are always negotiating!

Listen to Greg’s podcast made https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

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