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01/30/2005: "Negotiation Tactics: Reversing or Turning the Tables to Buy Time and Learn More."

In your negotiations, you will be asked lots of questions. Most, well many, will be related to your fee. You want to give this information but not until you're ready. So you do what's called "reversing" which simply put is answering a question with a question.

When your adversary asks you a question you must answer with something. So how do you reverse? An everyday example of reversing is:

"Hi Bob. How are you?"
"Fine, John. And you?"

You've thrown the ball back into your opponent's court.

Let's say the guy wants to know the cost. Well, fact is, you'll give it to him. But give it to him too early and you've lost the deal.

So you can say something like this:

"We certainly have to go into that but before we do . . ."

You have to allow time to get the information you need to know and understand the pain that your opponent is experiencing so you can prove that you have the solution to relieve that pain. If you answer too soon, you lose.

And yes, negotiation is war. It is not, as some would have you believe, win-win. While both parties should get a good deal, you still are in a war. People will lie to you. People will try to take advantage of you. People will eat you up if you let 'em. I call that war.

Your job is to win. Am I right?