👋 Hey, Chris here. Welcome to the 164th Floor. Each week I answer reader questions about closing more deals, bigger deals, negotiation. You name it. It's the weekly advice column to help you become the top 1% at sales. Send me your questions and I’ll give actionable real-talk advice. On to this week’s question.

Q: What are the most common tactics buyers use against salespeople in negotiations and how can I be better prepared?

Ever felt manipulated or taken advantage of?

All hands up.

Buying and selling are polar opposites.

Salespeople are taught to not sell for a penny less than the buyer will accept.

And the buyer?

They're trained to not buy for a penny more than the lowest the salesperson will take.

This relationship is like mixing oil and water. Fire and ice. Sandpaper and bare ass (sounds rough).

They don’t go together.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), your career depends on buyers. Without buyers, you have no job.

The why is this important should be obvious. If it isn’t, we have a bigger problem. If you can’t spot these tactics, you risk losing margin, money, commissions, and your job.

That’s why.

The Power 5.

Fake Deadlines

“If we can’t finish them by the end of the month, it’s over.”

‘Urgent’ deadlines are just high-pressure tactics dressed up as a dog with a loud bark and no bite.

Decide if the urgency is real or a ruse to rush you.

The key is to stay cool and not become reactive.

Get proof of the deadline or ask for an extension.

Deadlines exist, but not with near-term urgency.

1. Decide if the deadline's real.

2. Is the deadline reasonable?

Once you’ve thought it through, it’s time to put the pressure back on them.

“If we miss the deadline, are we done?”

If the negotiator is manipulating, this will cut through it. You’ve taken their power. You aren’t pressured into a rushed decision.

If the answer is “Yes, we are done,” you have decisions to make.

If the answer is “Well, not quite,” then you need to sell it.

Lowball/Highball

"In negotiation, the first number you hear is often the most influential." – Dan Ariely

I love this quote.

The first number in a negotiation is the only number that matters. It drives all conversations, feelings, emotions, thoughts, and next moves.

You need to understand what’s reasonable versus ridiculous.

The key to handling highball or lowball anchors is to avoid specific responses, take a wide approach, and force them to be realistic.

Here’s what it looks like.

You're selling a service and expecting to make $500/hour.

The person sends you a proposal with $100 / hour.

You're angry and feel manipulated.

“Do they really think I’m not worth more than $100/hour?”

You respond.

“How did you come up with that number?”

Now you’re playing into it. You made their number matter. You gave it life.

We need to ignore it.

Outrageous offers aren’t mistakes, they are opening moves in a mind game.

They're meant to make you emotional and throw you off. Make you defensive.

Here’s the response every time.

“Didn’t expect us to be this far apart. Doesn’t seem like there’s much more to talk about, right?”

We took away the power.

Forcing them to say, “What were you thinking..."

Those 4 words are where you win.

“We're so far apart, it'd be rude to share...”

Make them fight for the number.

When you tell them, they'll act surprised.

“I told you we were far apart. Now what?”

The negotiation has begun.

One more thing.

How often do you reach the end of a negotiation, ready to sign, and then they ask for one more thing?

This might seem small, but it’s a powerplay in the relationship moving forward. Assuming it's not a transactional sale but requires an implementation, now’s the time to stop it.

When someone asks for one more thing at the end, you question it.

“Can I be blunt? We’ve talked for 4 weeks, daily, to get here. We've addressed every objection. How did we miss this one?”

They're playing a game. Do what my coach says, “CALL IT CHRIS!!”

Call the game.

“Why now? Why wasn’t it important before? Is this a deal-breaker? Should we re-open negotiations?”

Any of these will slow them down and give you power in the relationship.

Emotional Blackmail

If negotiations make you feel guilty, you’re being played.

They show up in different ways: Guilt trips, undue gratitude, or sob stories.

Respond logically, not emotionally.

Call it what it is. A game.

Question to ask: "I appreciate our history relate to this deal?”

Or maybe “What would you do in my shoes?”

The objective is to get them to admit they're being unreasonable or unfair.

Tell you, “I know it’s not fair to you..."

If we call them unfair, it becomes us versus them.

If they say they're not being fair, we build trust and have a bridge to move forward with the negotiation.

What does the bridge sound like?

“So, what do we do now?”

Good Cop/Bad Cop

Classic good cop/bad cop with the Simpsons.

You see it in Law and Order & Criminal Minds, and any crime show on TV. You see it at the car dealer. Good cop bad cop exists everywhere.

The most common place you’ll see it, won’t be seen.

“Come on Chris, what is that jargon you speak about?”

The good cop will champion you.

The bad cop will be the decision maker they keep going back to.

Here’s what it sounds like.

“I love what you guys have. But my founder needs it 10% cheaper.”

You just experienced the modern-day good cop/bad cop.

How do you beat this?

You let the champion beat it in front of you with the decision maker.

To beat good cop bad cop, eliminate the adjective. Good. Bad.

You’re just dealing with ‘cops' now.

We eliminate the game and negotiate like professionals.

When your champion returns with requests from the bad cop, just call it.

“Why don’t you, your founder, and I make a decision on whether this will work or not together?”

Get the cops in the room and suddenly no one wants to be good or bad.

Weekly Challenge

This is the most important part of the newsletter. Turning the practical into the actionable.

This is where you become the top 1%.

Onto the checklist ✅:

1. Open a new google doc.

2. Write fake deadlines.

3. Give 3 examples of fake deadlines used against you

4. Describe how you handled it.

5. How would you handle it next time?

6. Do this for each of the Power 5.

7. Revisit monthly

Further reading 📚

1. Negotiating with a Customer You Can’t Afford to Lose

2. 16 Negotiation Tactics Buyers Use and How to Respond

3. Suits negotiation scene between Mike & Gillis

Until next week!

Chris