May 11, 2021

Analyst style of negotiation

The analyst style negotiator is methodical and diligent. They pride themselves on not missing any details in their extensive preparation. They will research for weeks to get data they could get at the negotiating table in a few minutes just to avoid being surprised. They hate surprises.

Analysts rarely show emotion. They often speak in a way that is distant and cold instead of soothing. This puts people off without them realizing it.

They are hypersensitive to reciprocity. If they give you a piece and you do not offer anything in return within a certain period of time, they will lose trust and disengage. This can seem to come out of nowhere. 

Any new information from a counterpart will result in them wanting to spend time evaluating it. Don’t expect immediate counter proposals from this type of individual.

Analysts are skeptical by nature so asking them too many questions in the beginning of a negotiation is a bad idea because they are not going to want to answer without understanding the implications. Use data and focus on facts to reason with them.

Apologies have little value because they see the negotiation and their relationship with you as a person as largely separate things.They are not quick to answer calibrated questions or closed-ended questions when the answer is “yes”.

If this style sounds like you, you should be worried about cutting yourself off from an essential source of data: your counterpart. The single biggest thing you can do is smile when you speak. People will be more receptive to you as a result. Smiling can also mask moments you become caught off guard.