Negotiating With Difficult People
By Wayne B. Pruner
http://www.yourhomeinportlandoregon.com/
Wayne's Portland Oregon area Real Estateblog
www.activerain.com/waynepruner
I had a meeting with a seller the other day while his agent was present. My clients liked this house, but it was over-priced. The offers and counter-offers going back and forth were getting nowhere, so I requested a face to face meeting without my clients present. The agent was cordial and professional through all this, but I sensed she had an over-bearing seller.
This guy was a bully right from the beginning. A real piece of work. He yelled, showed fits of anger, and his verbal abuse was meant to intimidate me. Basically, he was not a happy person. Kind of pitiful actually. Why did he act this way? Because difficult behavior works in the short run!
This tactic is usually the approach of one-dimensional negotiators. The outrageous demands and irrational or abusive behavior is how these people get what they want. Real estate agents need to be able to deal with this behavior since we represent our buyers. We do not have the option to walk away just because the seller is unpleasant. Statement such as, "You're insulting me with that offer." "Don't you know a good deal when you see one?" And "Are you stupid or what?" are calculated ploys to lessen your resolve.
Just remain calm and let them blow themselves out. Then stand up for yourself and calmly assert your position. No argument, yelling, sarcasm, or antagonizing. Don't respond with an abusive torrent of your own. Don't allow interruptions. If you are interrupted, just say, "You interrupted me. Let me finish." Don't apologize. This is taken as a sign of weakness by these people. Once he realized that he could not intimidate me, the negotiations shifted to a less hostile atmosphere.
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