Negotiating with bulldozers, fact finders, jumping jacks and doormats

By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D.

Natasha Josefowitz

LA JOLLA, California — Whether you’re buying a new car, trying to get the best deal from your suppliers, debating whether your company should invest in a real estate deal, or just discussing how to spend your next paycheck with your spouse, you are negotiating.

In order to negotiate successfully, you need to get enough of what you want and your partner needs to get enough of what he or she wants so both of you feel satisfied with the outcome, perhaps not exhilarated, but satisfied. In order to achieve this, you need to identify two elements: first, your own negotiation style, and second, the style of your negotiating partner, or foe as the case may be.

To identify your own style, think back on how you handled making requests when you were a child—when you wanted your first bike or asked to stay up late. Then try to remember with whom you were negotiating, what was your strategy, and did it work? Chances are that your style today is influenced by your early experiences with negotiation. Were you listened to, dealt with fairly, or ignored and denied?

Were the people in authority in your early life the models you use today for dealing with potential conflict? What were their styles? Try to remember specific incidents and visualize yourself and the other in a negotiation stance. There you are, a small child, standing in front of a large adult, perhaps your father. You want to go over to a friend’s house. Perhaps at first your father doesn’t even notice you, he’s reading the paper. You insist, he asks if your homework is done, you say yes. Still he hesitates, you press on, knowing that to insist too much will irritate him, so you plead, give reasons, cajole him. Finally he lets you go. You may have learned a negotiation style that works with your father–pleading. But that style may not be appropriate in your dealings as an adult. Observe yourself and identify your styl–you will learn a lot about yourself.

It is important to identify your usual strategies so that you can decide whether your style is effective or not, and if not, change it to suit the situation and the style of the person you’re negotiating with. This is situational negotiation.

The people you negotiate with fall into four main categories: bulldozers, fact finders, jumping jacks, and doormats.

When you’re with bulldozers, speed is of the essence; they will only read short memos and summaries, so talk fast and to the point. Bulldozers are aggressive and use attack tactics. You’re not the target, it is how they do business.

On the opposite end of the scale are the fact finders. They should be presented with a lot of material beforehan–thoroughness is their thing. If pushed too fast they will withdraw, which is just a defense tactic, not a rejection of you or the idea. You must have a lot of patience with fact finders. While bulldozers say “what,” fact finders say “how.” Don’t ever use the word “approximately” and don’t ever surprise a data lover.

Negotiating with jumping jacks is different. As their name implies, they jump around, change topics, and love to talk about themselves. They have high energy, but a short attention span. Jumping jacks require a lot of attention. You’ll need to build a relationship with them, break bread, and ask about their families. Jumping jacks always want something extra “thrown into the deal.” Be prepared for that, and don’t expect consistency.

Then finally, there are the “doormats.” These people are uncomfortable with conflict and strong opinions. The problem with “doormats” is that they have trouble committing themselves to anything, or saying what they want, so you have to push gently for an answer, opinion, or position. Use inclusive words like “we” and “us” and set time limits for making the decision. This is also known as the “OK person” style of negotiation. They say yes to everything, nod and smile a lot, and then don’t sign the contract or don’t show up when expected. They may feel that it is impolite to refuse a request or to simply say “no.”

You can figure out negotiation styles by observing people: who wants quick answers, who requests a lot of explanations, who won’t stay focused, and who is non-committal. You too fall into one of these categories or a combination of them. Figure out your style so that you can negotiate successfully by learning to adapt to the style of others. This, by the way, applies equally well at home as at work.

Any negotiation includes two styles working together—theirs and yours—becoming aware of both will help you deal better with any situation.

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Josefowitz is a freelance writer based in La Jolla. This article appeared initially in the La Jolla Village Voice.  Josefowitz may be contacted at natasha.josefowitz@sdjewishworld.com