Life is full of negotiation and years ago Jackie B. Cooper a world famous car salesman came and did a seminar at the dealership I was working at and he taught this car business proverb I have never forgot. “Never tell someone what you can’t do, tell them what you can do, for by telling them what you can do you will be telling them what you can’t do.”
Seems complicated at first but the more I understood the wisdom behind it the more I used it and the more I used it the more effective negotiator I became. Telling someone you can’t do something can easily offend and it breaks down the negotiation process as well as setting yourself up to be a liar if you later need to make that concession. However telling someone what you can do sounds like you are trying to reach a compromise a win win. It makes you sound committed to the process and making the effort.
This just isn’t a proverb for price negotiations by the way, you will find it tremendously effective in negotiating with your kids, your boss for time worked etc… This simple tip has been so helpful to me over the years I hope you try it.
Tags: Negotiation
You must be logged in to post a comment.