Black Belt Negotiating: Become a Master Negotiator Using Powerful Lessons from the Martial Arts

Don’t Take it All

One tactic that will definitely keep a negotiation from ending is when one party becomes greedy and keeps asking for more and more and more. This can really stretch out the haggling process. You think, after the tenth point, “Okay, we must be done now,” but then you see the other party perusing his papers while he chews on his pencil, clearly regurgitating his thoughts. This can’t be good. Here comes another demand. If you have this tendency yourself, just think about what it’s like to be on the other end of it. You feel like you are the mark and the other person is the pickpocket who is there for the sole purpose of getting as much out of you as possible.

In the martial arts, the tendency to take advantage in this way is strongest ...