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Jan 30, 2020 | Rants
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I Can’t Do That!
A co-worker and I partnered on a deal with a high profile customer, several years ago.
The customer, very used to getting his way, was doing what you’d expect – pushing hard to see what he could get.
The negotiation got tense, but the logjam broke with one nonchalant comment from my co-worker… “
If we go one dollar lower or give away one more thing, we don’t get a commission. If I’m not going to get a commission, I really don’t care if we do the deal or not. But, hey, we can be friends!”
I laughed as we walked away with a seven-figure deposit and a $50M airplane order. Well played!
But it was also the truth. If you’re negotiating a job offer, a sale, or whatever… make it personal.
The other guy may have a dog in the fight, but so do you.
“I can’t do that and here is why” is a powerful argument.