Negotiation Training & Consulting
TRUMPS' NEGOTIATION TACTICS
We’ve seen numerous articles regarding President Trump’s negotiation tactics. Two tactics have come to the forefront in the pundit arena – opening extreme and anchoring. We will explore these two strategies in detail.
DISCLAIMER: If you are looking for some validation for or against the President, you won’t get it. We are merely providing real-world examples for us to explore.
TWO NEGOTIATION TACTICS
Opening Extreme: Stating a “close to” unrealistic/impossible position to shift the other party’s expectation of what an acceptable deal might look like.
Anchoring: Setting a firm and perceived immovable position from which the other side has to pull you.
Combined, these two negotiation tactics are extremely powerful – anchoring an extreme position. They are simple and deadly effective. They work – period. Their merits in the political arena are up for debate – that’s not the point here. Has President Trump shifted your perception of reality, or better yet, where the compromised middle might be on a certain topic? Probably.
All skilled negotiators know you must concede a bit to the other side as the negotiation “game” unfolds. Always better to concede from your extreme position – you’ve built room to do so. Politically, these two strategies are frowned upon, both the extreme opener (“lost touch with reality”) and the concession to the “enemy.” But, in negotiation, this is highly appropriate.
What is most intriguing is the pundits talking about the extremely anchored position rather than the tactic itself. This further validates and supports the extreme position. The more you talk about the extreme, anchored position, the more real it becomes, easier to understand and accept. Over time, one might come off their extreme, anchored open, but it will have shifted the other side closer to the desired position.
The next time you hear President Trump pitch the anchored, extreme open, is he negotiating with you? Are you letting him get inside your mind, or do you see his tactic for what it is? What do you think he is targeting as his final position?