The Staller 拖延; 放长线掉大鱼

　　Identification You make a request for a change in the terms of deal. Then negotiator for the other side says she has no problem with this, but she has to check with her boss. A day passes. Two days pass. You call back and the other party says there’s no problem’ it just takes time to get changes approved. Eventually, because it takes so long to get any change approved, you stop asking for anything more.

　　Note Making concessions but stalling them seems arduous and onerous, but it’s a time-honored technique of negotiating. Although it doesn’t destroy goodwill, it can make you less eager to negotiate with that person again. It also involves very little conflict. If you can afford to stall a little bit, it’s a useful technique because it discourages extra request, but don’t become a perpetual staller.

　　Solution Whenever you make a request the other side agrees to, make sure you set a time that the change will be approved by. Like all terms, that time is negotiable. Pointing out a missed deadline to the other party allows you to bring to light their stalling tactics. Also, you can defuse the stalling tactic by not getting frustrated and simply continuing to address problems as they arise.