Negotiation Tools You Can't Do Without

Here’s the mark of a great tool: it makes the job easy. Without the right tool some jobs aren’t just difficult – they’re impossible. 

A good example is an Allen wrench. When you need an Allen wrench, no other tool will work. And without that Allen ranch, the job is not just difficult – it’s impossible! 

Another example might be a mandolin (the slicer - not the musical instrument.)

A mandolin slices vegetables thinly, uniformly, and perfectly in seconds!  It would take even a skilled chef much longer to produce the same result.

What's this got to do with negotiation?

There are simple tools in negotiation that are indispensable.  No negotiation toolbox should be without them, just as no toolbox should be without an Allen wrench.

One of those negotiation tools is the Swap-Out.  When somebody nibbles you or wants something in a negotiation, it's actually an opportunity to swap for something you want in return.  You simply say, “You know, that might be possible. If we could get that done, what are the chances of…”

The Swap-Out does more than meets the eye.  It not only gets you things and increases your take-away, it also alters the dynamic of the relationship. It works so well that we teach people not to go into a negotiation without 6 swap-outs in their hip pocket.

It can alter a relationship from one where you have a dominant personality and a subordinate personality (a big guy and a little guy) into one where two people are doing business as equals. That's a big shift!    

I know this sounds simple and obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many negotiators in large business deals and government negotiators don’t do this. This simple concept reinforces a key principle:  Negotiation shouldn’t be daunting, and it doesn’t have to be complex. Just getting good at the use of a few tools can make you a better negotiator.