Page 107 - 2

H IGH -P OWERED R EAL E ST A TE T ECHNIQUES

Trump and I have used it to achieve results that we originally
thought were not attainable.

Finding and Exploiting Weaknesses

Information is power in a negotiation. I have to derive information
from you, and to do that, I have to ask you a lot of questions. If I said
to you, “Are you really in such a bind that you have to move out of
your property in the next few weeks?” You’re never going to tell me
yes, because that’s going to hurt your negotiation posture. So in-
stead, you say “I want to move in by the end of the year.” And I re-
spond by saying, “I don’t know if that’s possible, suppose I gave it to
you three months later?” You reply, “I can’t use it three months later,
I have to use it now.” Without you realizing it, you just told me
you’re in a bind. All I did was throw out an alternative, and you said
that “I couldn’t live with the alternative.” Which effectively got me
the answer to my question.
Another indirect question might be, “What if instead of us paying
all cash, you take back a mortgage for $25,000?” If the reply is, “I re-
ally need the cash to pay off the debt to my bank.” Guess what—
you’ve discovered a weakness that you may be able to capitalize on.
Sometimes a timing question elicits a helpful response. You pose the
following question, “Would you be upset if I extended the lease com-
mencement date by three months?” The answer, “I can’t do that, my
present lease expires in 60 days.” You have just gained valuable infor-
mation without asking a direct question which might not be answered
truthfully.
In another situation I might say, “Why do you want to sell it
now?” “Well, the truth is I’m not feeling well.” Now I found out why
he’s selling. Also, I could ask a seller, “Have you heard about this or
that” and he says no. Now I’ve got a feeling if they’re in tune with
the market. Again, information is power in a negotiation.

85