Tough or Tender?

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Tough or Tender?

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Tough or Tender

Which is better?

I meet many realtors who think that being tough in their negotiations is beneficial to their clients.
Is it?

Let’s dig in a bit.

Negotiation is getting an agreement between parties.

In our case, that’s getting an agreement between the buyer and seller of a property to agree to a set of terms. Those terms may be complex or straightforward, and the process to come to that agreement will vary significantly with each negotiation. It depends on the people involved and the unique situation.

Another negotiation that we are routinely involved in is getting a potential seller or buyer to agree to work with us. Getting the Listing signed or the Buyer Agency Agreement signed is reaching an agreement between the potential client and ourselves. Again, this may be complex or straightforward, depending on the people involved and the unique situation.

There’s a theme here. There is no stock answer.

The negotiations need to be customized to the people involved and the situation at hand. The approach and tone of the negotiators will influence the negotiations in significant ways.

There are negotiations where being “tough” will cost you and your client the deal. There are also negotiations where being “tender” could cause you to lose out or to leave some of your clients’ value on the table.

So how do we know?

Your job as a professional negotiator is to understand the nuances of what will work best in each unique situation.

You do that through research and communication. If you aren’t having conversations with the negotiator on the other side, you aren’t negotiating, and while you may luck into a deal here and there, luck is a crummy business model.

This is The Art of Negotiation and The Nature of Sales.

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