When you want to get the negotiation moving, agree to things you know you will not have deliver. Make the commitment vague by adding that you “could” do what they want. This is a good tactic to use when the other party is focused on a minor point and you just want to move on.
Sometimes people get stuck on a small issue that is not really important to them, but they want to win that battle. If you let them think that they got what they want, they may feel like you are working with them and will be more receptive to meeting your needs.
Beware of using this, or any, deceptive tactic! If you do not follow though, and what they wanted was truly important, this may destroy future trust and make further negotiations difficult.
Example
We are on the tail end of living through the construction of a mega structure five feet away from our house. The QFC opened yesterday and the six stories of apartments on top are will be finished off in the next month or so. All in all, the entire project has taken two years! This has been a trying two years, and not just because we had a baby and I had to learn how to put her asleep through all the noise, but because of the damage to our property.
My husband is a good neighbor. Probably the best you could ask for, considering he gave an easement to the construction project that saved them a couple hundred thousand dollars—free of charge. They wanted to drive shoring nails under our property and promised that whatever happened in course of construction they would quickly correct. Ha, Ha, Ha! Boy did they get the best of us!
We have had concrete splattered all over our house and huge cracks in our walls for over a year and my husband is currently fighting with the construction company to get them to correct the damages. Needless to say, all trust has been lost. We gave up our major negotiation position long ago, however now we are not being so nice. Empty promises might work in the heat of the moment, but may come back to haunt you later if you are not careful.
