Pretend to be something you’re not in order to gain a stronger negotiation position. Credentials are valuable in a negotiation since it is a personal exchange. If the other party views you as an “expert,” or someone important, they are more likely to take you seriously.
When you are buying something, the opposite may be true when and it might be helpful to act as if you are poor.
Use caution with this and any other deceptive tactic. If the other party discovers you are not what you pretend to be, all trust will be lost and the deal will likely fall apart.
Example
You just started your interior design business. The talent and drive you had in design school leads you believe you will be successful in no time! The problem is that you have virtually no credentials to speak of, save your parents house you redecorated for free. Without experience, you know that no one will want to hire you.
On your website, you overemphasis your experience by naming yourself “Designer for the Stars.” Of course you cannot name your clients in order to protect their privacy. You use before and after photos of your own house as examples of your talent. You walk into appointments with an air of importance, confident in your abilities. Your tactic works and soon you really are “Designer for the Stars!”
