The Hidden Cost of Being ‘Difficult’ in B2B Negotiations

As time goes by, people forget the commercial terms and the words you said. What they don’t forget is how you made them feel.

Your counterpart remembers how difficult you were to deal with.

My laptop decided the middle of a client engagement was the perfect time for an update and everything slowed down. Not ideal.

But does the software developer care? Probably not.

The cost of change for me is pretty high. My ‘everything’ is all tied into their ecosystem. They can afford to be terribly inconvenient because leaving is harder than living with their faults.

That got me thinking… How easy are you to negotiate with? And, does it matter?

Most organisations negotiate like it doesn’t matter because they assume their customers and suppliers are dependent.

So, they open extreme, they tell part truths, they play silly games, and they under deliver on experience.

Too much is invested to walk away… until one day it isn’t.

A simple test: How often do you use the word ‘NO’?

The best negotiators rarely say NO.

They’ve learnt that it is possible to say ‘Yes’ on the things that are important to the other party but in a way that does not wreck the commercials. That’s the Scotwork Negotiation Australia way.

They protect the commercial position while making it easier for the other side to do business with them.

And when alternatives appear, difficult suddenly becomes expensive.

What’s negotiating with your team like?

If you want an objective view on how your team handles tough demands—or where value might be slipping through the cracks – get in touch with the Scotwork Australia team for a practical benchmark discussion.