The Negotiation Guru

Definitely! You can have too much power when it comes to negotiation. This happens when you know that the other party has much more to lose should there be no deal. So, can having too much power be a bad thing? Yes.

When people have too much power, they tend to be arrogant. Your arrogance will show in the way you negotiate. You want to make the other party feel that a good relationship is being built in the process of negotiation. You should not make her feel that she is being bullied into closing the deal with you. Let the other party leave the negotiating table feeling victorious.

The other party will appreciate that you do not abuse your power. In return, there might be a higher chance of her returning the favor to you. If you do follow the law of reciprocity, you will understand that it pays to be nice (sometimes!). Believe in Karma.

In a business negotiation, you want to aim for a healthy working relationship.

Having too much power can cause you to underestimate the other party. Power is a perception concept. How much power each other has, depends on how the other party perceive them to have.

You might think that the other party is weak and therefore underestimate his power. This can be dangerous. Never underestimate the party you are negotiating with. The power balance in negotiation is dynamic. It changes every single minute. I will discuss the dynamism in the negotiation process in my later posts.

Remember: Even when you have a lot of negotiating power, do not abuse it.

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Jens Thang
Unleash The Negotiation Guru In You!

Email: jens@thenegotiationguru.com