In negotiations, your goal is to make the other person realize you understand their position.
Your number 1 goal when doing a negotiation should be to get to “That’s right”. When the person you’re negotiating with says “that’s right”, that means they might be ready to stop being as defensive. Until you get to “that’s right”, everything you say will be met with skepticism. You may not be able to make any progress at all.
This does not mean you have to agree with their position, but you have to understand their position, and their feelings. Negotiation is Tactical Empathy.
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