What “The Closer” Can Teach You About Negotiating?

No, I’m not talking about closing deals like in the movie, Glengarry Glen Ross, or hanging out in timeshare boiler rooms. Maybe a future topic…

I’m talking about the TV show, “The Closer.”

The show is about Deputy Chief (Brenda) Johnson, an expert interrogator who closes nearly every case with a confession.

At some point in the show Brenda interviews a suspect in the interrogation room.

There’s a table, a few chairs. Nothing fancy.

And although she’s very capable at interviewing the suspect by herself, does she?

Or does she have another cop in the room, and several more behind the glass watching the interrogation take place?

More is Better!

You better believe it. She wouldn’t go anywhere without her team.

Why?

Because she can be so much more effective with her team at her side.

• Whether it is feeding her new information about the case.
• Or telling her something about the suspect based on the direction the interview is taking.
• Or playing bad cop to her good cop.
  

Make it an Unfair Fight…In Your Favor!

Whatever it is, her game improves by stacking the odds in her favor. Having the information, the live feedback, the timely interruption (to go outside the room and have a brainstorming session); they help Brenda get more confessions

So What Does This Mean To Me And My Business?

Now let’s translate this into a business negotiation.

Imagine you’re in a negotiation that is emotionally charged (like buying your home). In the negotiation you bring a lot to the table, namely a personal stake (and passion) in ensuring you get a favorable result (that you buy the house at a good price).

Now let’s say you’re buying this house from an owner directly. He loves his house and wants a premium price. You like the house but don’t value it as highly as the owner. You’re both emotionally tied to the negotiation and it shows as the negotiation proceeds. At a certain point you’re both at a point where the deal is not going to be completed.

Now compare this to a negotiation where you each have a real estate agent representing your interests. They don’t get emotionally involved. They deal with facts and attempt to persuade the other agent as to where the deal should close. In the end the deal gets done more often than not.

The third situation is the owner’s agent is negotiating on the owner’s behalf and you and your agent meet with the owner’s agent. In this situation if you and your agent work together, you could get a better result.

Why?

Why Two Is Better Than One

Because you supply the passion (and the, “let’s walk” stance, if you don't get what you need) and your agent supplies the calm perspective (“let’s just see what they’re proposing before we pass on this deal.”)

I saw this work well for me several times in the last week where the result was better than I would have gotten on my own.

Try it for yourself and see the results. I think you’ll be happily surprised.

Mike

P.S. You might try involving others in other areas of your life and see similar gains.