{"id":13033,"date":"2025-07-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/be-more-combative\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T00:00:00","slug":"be-more-combative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/2025\/be-more-combative\/","title":{"rendered":"Be more combative!"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article__content\">\n<p>Recently, I was speaking with a new prospect about a challenge he was facing. He said, \u201cI need your negotiation training to teach my people to be more combative!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I was puzzled by his desire for his team to be more\u00a0<em>combative<\/em>. That\u2019s not our approach at all. So, I asked him to clarify. What he really meant was that he needed his team to be\u00a0<em>stronger<\/em>\u00a0when facing difficult demands. That\u2019s a world away from being combative.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Problem with \u201cGiving In\u201d<br\/><\/strong>Difficult demands can feel intimidating, especially if you believe you\u2019re in a weaker power position. In those moments, many negotiators assume their only option is to give in. But giving in encourages more demands and sets a dangerous precedent for what the other side can expect moving forward. When a negotiator feels like they\u2019re being pushed around, they might think \u201cbeing combative\u201d is the answer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Strength Doesn\u2019t Require Combat<br\/><\/strong>In our negotiation training, we teach people how to assess their power and handle demands \u2014 all in a\u00a0<em>collaborative<\/em>\u00a0manner. Most business negotiations are with people we want to work with again. Combative behavior may get short-term concessions, but it almost always damages long-term relationships.<\/p>\n<p>So, how do you stay strong in the moment without becoming combative? Here are 3 key strategies . . .<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Dig Deeper into the Demand<br\/><\/strong>Ask them questions: Why is this important? Why now? What happens if this isn\u2019t possible?<br\/><br\/>As a negotiator, your job is to uncover whether the demand is\u00a0<em>real<\/em>\u00a0or just a tactic. Some people make aggressive demands simply to test boundaries. Others have legitimate needs. Knowing the difference helps you respond appropriately.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Understand Your Power<br\/><\/strong>People negotiate to serve their own interests. So, ask yourself, \u201cWhy are they negotiating with me?\u201d<br\/><br\/>If someone keeps telling you to \u201csharpen your pencil,\u201d ask, \u201cIf my price is so high, why are we still having this conversation?\u201d That question often reveals there\u2019s something more they value \u2014 and price isn\u2019t the only factor. Understanding what they want from you gives you insight into your power.<br\/><br\/><\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay Collaborative \u2014 Even with a Competitive Counterpart<br\/><\/strong>In my article\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotworkusa.com\/negotiation-blog\/2020\/be-nice-until-its-time-to-not-be-nice\/\"><em>Be Nice\u2026 Until It\u2019s Time to Not Be Nice<\/em><\/a>, I explored the importance of collaboration and how to respond when things get competitive. What I didn\u2019t emphasize is that you can still take a collaborative approach even when facing a competitive person. When both sides go competitive, everyone loses. But if you remain collaborative, you\u2019re more likely to influence the outcome constructively.<br\/><br\/>Let\u2019s say they insist on using their contract instead of yours. Instead of arguing about it, ask yourself, \u201cWhat do I need in return?\u201d Maybe it\u2019s the inclusion of language that protects your interests or an expedited signing process. Use their demand as a chance to trade, not to fight.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Result: Winning While Preserving the Relationship<br\/><\/strong>The good news? That prospect is now a client. The even better news? His team will practice these techniques during negotiation training, along with other tools for dealing with difficult situations while preserving their relationships.<br\/><br\/><br\/><strong>We Can Help You Negotiate with Strength in Every Deal.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the other side is combative or you\u2019re in a low-power position, Scotwork\u2019s negotiation training and consulting will give you the tools for dealing with those situations while preserving a productive relationship.<br\/><br\/>Talk to one of our experts today:<br\/>E: <a href=\"mailto:info@scotwork.co.nz\">info@scotwork.co.nz<\/a><br\/>P: 04 2979069<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, I was speaking with a new prospect about a challenge he was facing. He said, \u201cI need your negotiation training to teach my people to be more combative!\u201d I was puzzled by his desire for his team to be more\u00a0combative. That\u2019s not our approach at all. So, I asked him to clarify. What he&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":13034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_legacy_url":"blog-nz\/2025\/be-more-combative\/","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Be more combative!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"World leaders in business negotiation training and consultancy with experts across 120 countries, with negotiation courses taught in 29 languages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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