Should you walk away from the negotiating table? If so, when? According to expert negotiator Jim Camp, you should walk away when the negotiation is no longer in line with your mission and purpose.
In Camp’s view, simply walking away as a tactic to get the other side to capitulate is not an effective way to negotiate. It falls into the category of “tactical” or “technical” and is therefore not principled and therefore vulnerable.
First, you need to start with a mission and purpose for your business. If your goal is to win a client for your consulting service and you have a fixed amount that you want to receive as payment for these services, then your mission is to complete the negotiation in order to help the other party see the value of what you are doing. offering
As long as things are moving forward, then there is no reason to walk away or threaten to walk away.
However, if things get to a point where you don’t think there’s any chance of continuing toward mission accomplishment, you can abort the negotiation at that point.
How can you tell the difference between a simple obstacle that can be overcome and a true deciding factor?
You must have a very clear idea of what you are willing to be flexible and what you are not going to negotiate. For example, you can have a set price that you stick to, but you can be flexible with how payment is made, either in one lump sum or in installments.
If you run into an issue that asks you to commit to your original mission and there’s no way around it, you can walk away.
In this case, something strange can happen. Since it is moving away out of principle and not as a tactic, the march may work as intended by those who use it as a tactic. The other party will see that this is a part of your mission that is really non-negotiable and if they find value in what you are offering, they may re-evaluate their own mission and find that the amount you are asking for is indeed worth paying.
The difference here is honesty. Don’t try to circumvent honesty by trying to walk away as a tactic. The opposition will see this and you will not achieve what you are trying to achieve.
