Negotiation Tricks and How to Answer Each One Calmly

The recruiter says the number is final. Then, in the same breath, she says another candidate is waiting and she needs your answer by Friday.

Maybe all of that is true. Maybe none of it is. You cannot tell in the moment, and that is the point of the trick. It works because you feel the clock before you check it.

Most negotiation tricks are old, and they repeat. Once you can see the shape, they lose most of their weight. This page covers six, with a plain answer to each. The sources are Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury), Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss) and Influence (Robert Cialdini).

DiagramSee it, name it, answer it

Fisher and Ury treat each trick as a proposal about the rules of the game. You can then negotiate about the rules.

1. The extreme first offer

The seller names a price far above anything sensible, or the buyer opens with an insult. Fisher and Ury list this under positional pressure. Voss and others note that a first number pulls the final price toward it, which is why people open with one.

An early number sets the frame. Your own number now looks reasonable by comparison, and you start bargaining from their ground. Cialdini calls a related effect the contrast principle: a $95 sweater looks cheap after a $495 suit.

Do not rebut with a number of your own. Ask for the reasoning: "How did you get to that figure?" Then ask what fair standard sits behind it, such as market prices, a published rate or what comparable deals cost. Fisher and Ury say to treat their position as one option and ask about the interests and principles behind it.

2. Good cop and bad cop

One person is harsh and unreasonable. His partner looks embarrassed, calls him out, and then offers something that sounds fair. Cialdini gives the police version: the bad cop curses and threatens, the good cop calms the suspect, sends him for coffee and offers to cut the sentence.

Fear, contrast and a sense of owing a favour all act together. The suspect, Cialdini says, feels that someone is on his side.

Getting to Yes gives a business case. One partner says the company is worth $80,000 and will not take a penny less. The other apologises and asks if you could pay $76,000. The counter is to ask the friendly one the same question you would ask the harsh one: what is your principle for that number? You are ready to pay $80,000 if he can show it is the fairest price.

3. The deadline

"This offer ends Friday." "Others are waiting." Fisher and Ury list deadlines under positional pressure. Cialdini's scarcity principle explains the pull: things that are about to go feel more valuable.

A deadline makes you feel the loss before you do the checking.

Voss says deadlines are "almost never ironclad". He asked hundreds of executives whether a missed deadline ever hurt a deal, and only one said yes. That was an informal poll, so take it as a strong hint and not a study. Some deadlines are real, so check this one. Ask: "Is that date fixed, or is there room?" Then use the time you have to firm up your alternative.

4. The small extra at the end

You think you have a deal. Then comes: "Yes, agreed, but there is still one small problem." Getting to Yes tells the Malta story. In 1971 the Prime Minister of Malta bargained with Britain over base rights. Each time the British thought they were done, he came back with a "small problem": first a cash advance of £10 million, later guaranteed jobs for dockyard workers.

You want to finish, so you keep paying. Each ask is small next to the whole deal.

Name it, then stop. The authors suggest a break: "I think we have agreed the main points, and I want to check where we are before anything more." Then decide if you want to continue and on what basis. When you return, ask for the principle behind the new demand. Someone who really wants a deal will take you more seriously after that.

5. The "my boss will not agree" line

The person across the table says he would love to help, but a boss, a board or a rule will not allow it. Fisher and Ury list limited authority among the tricks.

It gives them a free second bite. They can hear your best offer and then go back for more, and you cannot argue with a person who is not in the room.

Ask early and ask plainly: "How much authority do you have here?" Getting to Yes advises asking it before the talk starts. If he has less than he claimed, ask who does and whether that person can join. If you must deal with him alone, say your offer is also subject to your own review.

6. The lock-in

A person ties himself to a position so tightly that only you can give way. Fisher and Ury use a picture: two trucks speed toward each other on a one-lane road. One driver pulls off his steering wheel and throws it out of the window, in full view. The other must leave the road.

The power comes from losing control, and only if the other driver sees it.

Make it hard to defend and easy to leave. Do not turn the commitment into the main issue, because the other side then has to back out in front of you and will resist. The authors suggest you play it down, cut the communication or joke about it. Ask what principle the position rests on and offer a way to step back without losing face.

Your callWhat would you do?

Dara is renewing a supply contract. The seller says the new price is fixed and that his manager has already approved it. He adds that the offer lapses at the end of the week.

Weaker move. Lever 2 is missing. You never checked your alternative, so the clock made the choice.
Strongest move. Lever 3 and Lever 2. You name the pressure without blame and ask for a reason, and you use the time to get another quote.
Weaker move. You may be right, but an accusation makes him defend himself. Naming the situation works better than naming the person.

How to name a trick without making an enemy

Naming is the risky part. Fisher and Ury suggest soft wording: "I may be mistaken, but it feels like we keep adding items after we agree." They also say that a counter works best when the other side cares about the deal.

Other teachers point out that naming a tactic can make someone lose face. If you expect that, you can skip the label and go straight to the question that deflates the trick: "What is the reason for that?" or "How did you get to that number?"

Naming also does little against a person who only wants to win. Fisher and Ury admit that you may then need to walk out, and that needs a real BATNA. See what a BATNA is and how to build one.

The dark version

Drill

How we chose these six

We kept the tricks that appear in more than one of our source books and that the authors give a clear answer to. The evidence behind the answers is mostly worked examples and short stories. Fisher and Ury admit that some counters are suggested and not shown working, and that people draw the line between hard bargaining and bad faith in different places. Treat these answers as a place to start and test them in small talks first.

A cleaner way to win

Next, read The Negotiation Guide, then How to Spot Manipulation.

Questions people ask

Should I say out loud that someone is using a trick?

Fisher and Ury say yes, in a soft form that blames the situation and not the person, such as 'I may be mistaken, but it feels like...'. Other teachers warn that naming a tactic can make the other side lose face and dig in. Judge by how much they care about the deal.

Is a firm opening position a dirty trick?

Not always. Getting to Yes admits that people draw the line in different places and that a firm opening is normal in many settings. It becomes a problem when it comes with no reason you can check.

Do I need a plan B to answer these tricks?

It helps a lot. Many of the counters in Getting to Yes, such as walking out, are weak without a real alternative. Build yours first with our BATNA guide.

Can I use these tricks myself?

Fisher and Ury argue that a trick fails the reciprocity test: it only works if the other side does not know it. We teach them so you can recognise them, and we do not teach you to deceive a specific person.

Sources: Getting to Yes; Never Split the Difference; Influence. Ideas summarised in our own words.