How to negotiate with elephants

You just need to get to know them better

Q: How do you negotiate with an elephant?

A: Find out its negotiating style

In 2018 scientists from Finland proved that elephants have different behavioural traits. Yes, even elephants have different personalities… and with that comes different preferences for negotiating.

It’s something zoo keepers had known for years - you have to treat different elephants in different ways if you want the right outcome. And when you’re trying to negotiate with an animal that weighs up to 7 tonnes, you need to be confident that you’re using the right approach.

It’s the same when you’re negotiating with your clients (just without the risk of them squashing you if they sit down unexpectedly).

Different people have different negotiating styles. If you’re taking the same approach with every client, you’re likely to lose out more often than not.

However, when you know how to pick the right approach for each client you’ll find you get much more from every negotiation. That includes higher fees, but also the promise of exclusivity, greater engagement with the hiring team, and even referrals that win you more business.

If you want to bring smarter negotiating strategies into your business, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain more.

Jon

P.S. The consequences of choosing the wrong negotiating style are significant. 

For example, while one negotiating type sees a moment of silence as a sign that the relationship is breaking down, another personality type will see silence as essential for respectfully contemplating the offer on the table.

I’ll let you think about that quietly for a moment (but only if that’s your style).

If you want to bring smarter negotiating strategies into your business, simply reply to this email and I’ll explain more.