Negotiating in the Shower?

Unfortunately for me, every time I get in the shower at one point or another I start thinking about negotiation. Now keep your mind focused, this is a “clean” post. The reason I think of negotiating is because when you are negotiating, the other agent thinks of you as a wash cloth.

When you use a wash cloth what do you do first? Right! You put some water on it and get it good and wet. Now that it is good and wet, you don’t just start running it over your face or body right away, what do you do next?

That’s right you squeeze it. How many times do you squeeze it? Well until it stops dripping of course. This is exactly how a good negotiator will think of you. A good negotiator is going to squeeze you several times and until you stop dripping, they are going to continue to squeeze.

For me negotiation starts the moment I am working with a client. I keep gathering pieces of information and storing them like bullets. I like to have a lot of ammunition when I enter a negotiation. The idea is not to kill the person on the other side of the table or to be unreasonable, but rather to secure the best value for my client.

In order to handle the squeezes, my client and I prepare at least three stands. Each one of those stands support the offer we are going to make. Along with those stands, we prepare a sliding scale. I work with my client to determine what they are willing to give as well as what they are willing to take. After all negotiation is about give and take. The last thing we work on is our absolute bottom line. This is the line in the sand. A seller should never go below this number and a buyer should never go above. Negotiation is to find that area where they overlap. If they don’t then no sale will take place.

So the next time you are getting ready to prepare an offer or make a counter, remember to take a shower and think about how you are going to negotiate. I look forward to seeing you on the other side of the table. Be prepared because you know I will come ready to squeeze.