Blogs - RED BEAR Negotiation Company

Concessions are an inevitable part of every negotiation. However, moving a negotiation to a satisfactory close is almost always going to require a series of concessions.

There’s little worse than stepping into a team meeting that’s dull, uninspired, and unproductive. No one really wants to be there, few – if any – new ideas are being put forward, and the final outcome will most likely be the easiest way forward, regardless of quality.

To succeed in any negotiation environment, a negotiator needs to be able to adjust their approach according to the situation. Much like a soldier on the battlefield doesn’t use a single type of weapon for every combat situation, the best negotiators have an arsenal of distinct negotiation behaviors that serve specific purposes depending on the situation.

Most negotiation analogies involve some kind of sport or strategic game, such as boxing, poker, chess, basketball — you name it. This is because most people see negotiation as an inherently competitive activity. It’s one negotiator competing with the other for the better deal and more favorable outcome — simple, right?

Humans have been fascinated with magic for a long time, and the psychology of it is pretty interesting. On one hand, we love magic tricks because they’re a drastic departure from what we thought was going to happen, but on the other hand, we don’t like being fooled. Or better yet, we don’t want to feel foolish. By going to a magic show, we agree to be fooled. As willing participants, we know the...

A skilled negotiator is a visual artist. That's because effective negotiation entails constructing a favorable perspective of the world, and then sharing that perspective with the other parties involved. When you're talking with a prospect, you essentially need to paint a picture of your product or service that resonates with them—both functionally (according to their needs) and on a deeper, more...

Demand statements are powerful strings of dialogue that can either cut like a well-maintained samurai sword or a dull razor depending on your execution. In order to take your negotiations to the next level, you’ll need to find out how to personally keep your demand statements sharp and effective, rather than brute and sloppy.

You’ve likely heard that pressure makes diamonds, and in much the same way, tension makes creative solutions.

Power can mean very different things to different people. To a dictator, for instance, it means having absolute control over the lives of their people; to a musician, it’s commanding the emotions of their audience. One thing that all types of power have in common, however, is influence. That’s why every negotiation is, at its core, all about the power dynamic between the two parties. Each side of...