Negotiating. You do it in your sleep.
We underestimate the deals we’re cutting around town. We bargain with car dealers, when pushing for the next raise; we’re cutting deals with our munchkins at every breakfast sit down before school. I myself was caught in the act over the holidays with a pretzel vendor in New York’s Rockefeller Center. The same toasty pretzel I normally fork out 1 dollar for in an average NY minute, suddenly sky rocketed to $4 during Manhattan’s tourist trap season.
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But I’m not here to talk about overpriced pretzels in New York’s concrete jungle. As your Shoe Hostess I’m here to talk about a strategy you can use the next time you sit down at the bargaining table with someone. This is no longer considered men’s territory, women strike winning deals too.
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The power of silence.
It’s not exactly something Americans swing easily. It takes alot to stifle us in general but going silent for several seconds during a a one-on-one negotiation can work wonders for your bargaining power. For one thing, it allows you to create space (an impromptu pregnant pause if you will) between you and the other person when the discussion is getting dicey.
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Granted, it absolutely feels awkward and doesn’t come naturally for women.
We’re programmed with an aim to please and are averse to making waves. Heaven forbid we’re perceived as being difficult in a given situation. Taking a step back and suddenly going hush during a free flowing healthy conversation takes some practice but can spark some pretty powerful wins.
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Going silent signals that you are in control and stand behind what you’re proposing. It’s a chess move that can prompt the other person to opening up with more information than they had initially planned on sharing. They could also change course by taking a different position or better yet get a closer view of what it’s like in your shoes. The good news? Any one of these motions puts you in a better position.
So don’t sweat it, silence is a good thing.
Going mum will always buy you more time especially if the terms have navigated down territory which risk your coming to a satisfying agreement in the end. More negotiation tactics in my column here for London’s Here is the City, but for now I shush and that’s all you’re going to hear from me.
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