Playing Dumb

We all take pride in our intellectual powers and our ability to reason and make sense of things. Often, however, the astute negotiator won't be so smart.

He or she may have trouble understanding, need things explained in a number of different ways, have to have things repeated, and appear unable to draw simple conclusions.

When the buyer uses the playing dumb approach, what’s liable to happen is that you go into super-teaching mode. You explain again and again, and each time the buyer picks up more and more information.

Of course, some people may not understand the technicalities of what you’re talking about, and yes, you will have to go over it a few times. But watch the pattern, and once you suspect the Playing Dumb tactic, then you need to switch gears.

Sometimes broken record is a good way to deal with this because, if instead of giving new information each time, you simply repeat the old explanation with different words, the buyer is likely to get bored and move on to the next subject.

Another way to deal with the playing dumb tactic is to use a flip chart or a white board. I remember once I was negotiating with the buyer for a large corporation.(continued on Page 26)

Negotiation training programs can can make a huge difference for your bottom line.