Page 188 - Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

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A PPENDIX B

Tr ump’s Rule s for Negotiating

egotiating is an art. There are nuances and finely honed
Ntechniques and rules to be aware of. Here are a few of them:

• Know what you’re doing. Sounds simple, but I’ve seen a lot
of instances where I couldn’t believe how much the other
side didn’t know. I immediately knew I could have a grand
slam and fast, just based on their apparent lack of prepara-
tion. My father used to tell me, “Know everything you
can about what you’re doing.” He was absolutely right,
and I’m giving you the same advice. Follow it.
• Remember, it takes a lot of smarts to play dumb. This is a good
way to see how much your negotiating partners don’t know.
It’s also a good way to see if they are bulldozing you.
• Keep them a bit off balance. What they don’t know won’t
hurt you, and that may help you down the line. Knowl-
edge is power, so keep as much of it to yourself as possible.

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