Understanding your counterpart’s style is paramount in any negotiation. Many perceived “tough” businesspeople share a recognizable style: they rely on highly competitive tactics and emotional rhetoric. They use anger and confrontation to dominate discussions and control narratives. For them, every deal must have a clear winner and a loser. A style that reinforces their image as strong leaders.
If you’ve sat across the table from such negotiators, you know the feeling. Some of you may even recognize yourselves in this mirror. This approach can create the impression of strength. But it often comes at a high cost: broken trust, missed opportunities, and agreements that don’t last. The real test is not signing a deal but making sure it works in practice. Without trust and reliability, even the biggest agreements can quickly lose value.
The “gut-feeling” negotiator
Negotiating on instinct alone can win you short-term battles. Confidence, pressure, and the relentless push for your terms may sometimes get results. But it rarely creates value beyond the immediate deal. The outcome is fragile and expensive.
The skilled negotiator
Skilled negotiators, many of whom are also great business leaders, operate differently. They prepare systematically, map interests, and make conscious choices about when to compete and when to collaborate. They see that the pie is not fixed and that value can be created for even better deals, not just claimed.
Richard Holbrooke, a U.S. diplomat best known for brokering the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian war, once compared negotiations to jazz: “improvisation on a theme.” You know where you want to go, but you cannot script the way there.
Skilled negotiators listen closely, adapt with purpose, and create harmony even when egos clash.
Adaptability as power
The real power in negotiation is not who raises their voice the loudest, but who adapts the smartest. By taking the other side’s concerns seriously and building trust around what matters most to them, you create constructive dialogue. With it, influence.
Adaptability is not weakness. It is the strongest form of power.
Why negotiation training matters
Improvisation only works when built on preparation and skill. Structured negotiation training gives business leaders tools to be conscious, adaptable, and effective.
The payoff is tangible. One company we trained reported
a 40% increase in sales results and a 12% price increase, achieved simply by working more systematically with negotiation and influence.
“The Power of Nice training has had a transformative impact on our negotiation skills and overall sales results.”
See more testemonials about our negotiation trainings.
In negotiation, toughness might win battles, but adaptability, trust, and reliability win the best results: stronger relationships, higher ROI, and agreements that last.
Contact us for a no-obligation conversation on how we can strengthen your negotiation skills.