When I was starting my career, I worked temporarily as an assistant to a commercial real estate broker. Now of all the places out there, you will probably find the most sharks in the real estate industry. The small fish in the sea don’t stand a chance when thrown in with them. Guppies are quickly swallowed whole without a thought.
This was such a male dominated environment that there was only one women agent (who acted like a man) out of a sales team of fifty! I almost felt as if I went back and time to the 1950’s, or was on the set of Mad Men, where the woman’s job was to smile, answer the phone, and make coffee. Now I am no feminist, and I was okay that my job was to play the part of secretary, but I didn’t feel at all comfortable there. When they offered me a position to stay on permanently as an assistant to two of the most foul-mouth men in the office, I politely declined the offer. There was NO WAY I could stay in that environment for an indefinite period of time.
If you can be described as amicable, nice, or just a plain push-over, you are probably a guppy. Having witnessed firsthand the cut-throat negotiation tactics that the big fish of this world employ, and proud to be a guppy myself, I can offer advice on how to successfully negotiate while swimming with the sharks.
#1 Avoid Personal Confrontation—Stick to the business at hand and keep your relationship professional. If you let a shark get too close, he may discover just who he’s dealing with and not take you seriously.
#2 Feign Confidence—As soon as a shark smells blood, they strike. Don’t give them the chance to know your fear. Instead, hold your ground and your head high. If you are not a naturally confident person, fake it the best you can. If you need more help in this area, read up on overcoming your fear of negotiation.
#3 Remove Yourself from the Situation—Whenever possible, choose to negotiate removed from the situation. The best method to negotiate in this way is by email. It is easier to hide your emotions through the written word. Emails often feel cold and heartless, even when that is not your intention, which is the perfect way of dealing with a shark.
#4 Remember that Even Sharks Have Weaknesses—Sharks may be experienced, ruthless, unforgiving, and just plain mean, but that doesn’t mean they always get what they want. The y also have their weaknesses that can hurt them in a negotiation. For example, sharks often don’t learn from their mistakes and have to be right 100% of the time, even if that means lying to cover their butt. Catch them in the precarious web they weave and you may be able to knock them down from the top of the totem pole.
#5 Hire a Professional—If you don ‘t want to jump in the shark tank, and the stakes are high, consider hiring a professional negotiator. Professional negotiators consist of lawyers, real estate agents, and personal loss mitigators.
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.