The following is an excerpt from 33 Ways Not to Screw Up Negotiating by Gerry Paran
Understand the other person’s position and to what they may be able to agree and to what they might not be able to concede. Never take no for an answer unless you are convinced that person is a decision-maker.
Titles of people who are usually not decision-makers: bank tellers, clerks, cashiers, servers, hostesses, ticket counter agents, mechanics, technicians, customer service representatives/agents, retail salespeople, car salespeople, receptionists, coordinators, attendants, and agents.
Titles of people who may or may not be decision-makers: executive secretaries, executive assistants, chief of staff, administrator, sales manager, quality control manager, business manager. Even if they are not decision-makers, they can exert substantial influence over the ultimate decision maker. So be careful with these.
Titles of people who usually are decision-makers include: owner, principal, president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, vice president, doctor, principal, hotel manager, bank manager, partner, and judge.
Application
You are checking out of a hotel and tell the desk clerk there was a legitimate problem with the room (air or water temperature, for example). You ask the clerk to waive the room charge. You should know that most hotel clerks are not authorized to cancel an entire charge for a room. So do not argue and get angry with the clerk. Politely ask to speak to an authorized manager to waive the room charges and make your case to him / her.
Pro Tip
Know the authority of the person with whom you are negotiating. Decision makers usually have Profit & Loss responsibility for an organization or some part of an organization. And they are generally empowered to sign contracts and make commitments binding themselves or their organization.
Pro Tip
When offering a proposition where multiple people may be involved on your opponent’s side, make sure you identify the final decision maker. A good question is: “Besides yourself (or yourselves), who else will be involved in making this decision?”
This recognizes the importance of the person (people) to whom you are presenting the proposition, as you “smoke out” the identity of the actual decision maker. This wording is critical to avoid insulting anyone while learning the identity of the one true decision maker.
Pro Quote
“In many other situations, the people involved representing the decision makers may have only limited authority. Or, they may have no authority at all.” — Negotiation Experts Website
Be a Chess Player — Opening Moves
If you are a chess player, you know just how important it is to have a strong opening that is appropriate for the skill and style of your opponent’s play. The same applies to negotiations. Even if you do not know your opponent’s skill, which is very common, the following best practices will usually suit you well.
Pro Quote
“Negotiation is in some ways like chess. In negotiation you don’t necessarily know the “pieces.” You must discover and develop your own pieces and find ways of uncovering your counterpart’s.” ~ David Oliver
Read the Book
For more tips, read the book 33 Ways Not to Screw Up Negotiating by Gerry Paran.
