Negotiation Tip: Don’t rush the process

A lot of people don’t enjoy negotiating and just want to get it over with. But in my experience, contracts that get signed quickly tend to be awful.

Accept the idea that negotiations take time. Think of it like a dance. Rushing the tempo in negotiations is like trying to force disco when the music is playing a slow waltz.

Negotiations need time to breathe, to unfold organically. It's in those moments of back-and-forth that you truly get to know your dance partner.

I was recently in a negotiation where one of the parties was tapping her foot impatiently, ready to close the deal yesterday. She wanted to fast-track the whole process.

Red flags started waving vigorously in my mind. Why the rush? Was there an unseen advantage lurking in the shadows?

When someone is rushing you, it's not a cue to speed up; it's a red flag. They either recognize a mistake you made and want to close fast, or they see an advantage for themselves, so they want to close fast. 

So here's the tip etched in the dance floor: Slow. It. Down.

Let the negotiation waltz unfold naturally, revealing the true character of the deal.