Negotiation Is Not About Niceness

Being generous does not elicit gratitude, but creates either a spoiled child or some one who resents behaviour perceived as charity. People respond in a nice and conciliatory way only when it is in their interest and when they have to do so. In negotiation, as in war, you must not let yourself get carried away. There is a danger in advancing too far, taking too much, to the point where you create an embittered enemy who will work for revenge. If you advance a little further every day, attempts to delay negotiation only make their position weaker. You are demonstrating your resolve and determination, not through symbolic gestures, but by administering real pain.