An Old Negotiation Trick

By Marty Nemko

One of the oldest negotiating tricks in the book is the "higher authority" ploy. Your opponent says, "That seems fair. I'll just have to run it by my boss. That puts you on ice for days while he's "running it by his boss." Your anxiety increases over the days, then he comes back and says, "Gee, I was sure he'd go for it but he didn't. His best offer is: (insert lowball offer.) In your softened-up state, it's tempting to say yes. To avoid the higher-authority ploy, upfront, ask to negotiate with the person with final say.