7 Crucial Things You Need to Know About Surviving War

Winning at all Costs: Soviet Style | Ignore Deadlines

Good Day Readers, Today we are going to start the Final Important of this Topic " Winning at all Costs: Soviet Style" .

Throughout the discourse on the competitive Win-Lose Negotiating Style, I have been using the Practices of the Soviet Union as our Model. Without doubt, their key Tactical Element, serving as the fulcrum around which the other parts revolve , is Time.

As we have seen, whenever you negotiate with a Soviet you must be Patient. Everything will start on time, but the delays will seem endless. If you attempt to speed things along, your request will be discussed and debated, but nothing will change.

Even when arriving at the end they are not in a hurry, for they know that all deadlines are the product of a negotiation. Therefore, it's negotiable! They will try to convince you that the Original Deadline is for Real, but they have never been persuaded.

Coming back to the Purchase of Property on Long Island's North Shore. when we left off it was 4 months prior to the expiration of the option.

The Soviets had offered $133,000 against an asking price of $360,000. From then on, little occurred until the flurry of the following Russian moves ( at the left is when their offer was made relative to the deadline, and on the right the amount) :  

• 20 days Prior          $145,000
• 5 days Prior            $164,000
• 3 days Prior            $176,000
• 1 day Prior              $182,000
• Deadline Day         $ 197,000

From these figures it is evident that virtually all the Soviet activity was compressed into the last 5 days Prior to the Deadline.

When the Deadline Passed, it looked as though both sides were hopelessly deadlocked. They were still a considerable distance apart: Soviet offer $197,000 versus sellers' asking price of $360,000.

The Real Estate Agent was about to put this Large Land Parcel back on the Market, When he was contacted by the Soviets, one day after the option had Expired. After another week of Frenetic Negotiations, the Soviets paid $216,000 in cash to the owner, who needed the money desperately because of a "Liquidity Problem".

Needless to say, the final Sale Price doesn't always tell the whole story, but there is considerable evidence that the Soviet Purchase Price was way Below the Market Price. This Negotiation Vignette dramatically depicts the Soviet Style in Action.

The aftermath is also Interesting. The Soviets now had their Property, which required rezoning before it could be used for their Purposes. In going before the requisite board they encountered the former owner, who was still seething.

After submitting many sets of revised Plans and after inordinate delays, the Soviets realized they would not be able to secure approval for the needed changes. Almost a year from the date of the original purchase, they resold the acreage for $372,000.

Subsequently, with toned down negotiating tactics, they acquired suitable land in King's Point, Long Island, not far from the Old Guggenheim Estate.

Once again, I have presented the Soviet competitive style in great detail not because I want you to operate this way. As I said before, I would like you to recognize these Tactics so you will not be victimized by them. To further reiterate, a Tactic Perceived is no Tactic.

For Soviet tactics to work, all 3 of these criteria must exist:

1. No Continuing Relationship: The Negotiation must be a one-shot Transaction where the Perpetrator is sure he will not need his victim again. Consequently, if your relationship is a continuing one, you may win a pyrrhic victory at the expense of mortgaging your future relationship.  
• Let's say, For Example, that I, as a Soviet Negotiator, "Sting" you and get away scot free. Will you realize that you've been duped? Maybe not instantly, but eventually you will become aware of what happened. Should you manage to Ignore the blood on your shoes, someone will tap you on the shoulder and politely say, " Pardon me, but there's a metallic object protruding from your back, and ... oh, yes - you are bleeding profusely." Even the Slowest learner will realize what occurred.   
• No matter how upset you may be, you have little recourse. However, should we see each other again, you could be waiting for me. Supposing I still have more Power than you in this second encounter, your attitude might be, "I'm going down again, but he's going down with me. I'll put the temple down on both our heads."
• In Essence you're now willing to sacrifice yourself  if it means getting back at me. What you have done is adopted the Lose-Lose strategy embodied in the expression " We'll all bleed together."
2. No Remorse Afterward: Whether it's derived from Ethics, Morality, or religious upbringing, most of us have a concept of what constitutes fair play. You and your conscience must go on living with the Tactical means used to achieve this victory. If afterward, you are overcome by a sense of guilt and contrition, was winning this way worthwhile? As the late Janis Joplin said, " Don't compromise yourself, because it's all you've got!"
• Nevertheless, those who believe that the end justifies the means have no difficulty with this criterion.
3. No Awareness by Victim: The Potential Victim must be Naïve - innocent and unaware - at least momentarily. If the prey understands the hunting game, they are unlikely to remain in the line of fire. Therefore, regardless of the skill of the hunter, the cooperation of an unsuspecting mark is required.
• For this Reason alone, it is advisable to recognize the competitive Win-Lose Style. If enough people had this knowledge, we would be able to deny the slick Soviets among us their cheap victories at the expenses of the unsuspecting. In facet, if this knowledge were widespread, we would neutralize competitive Tactics and Minimize Game Playing.

All right, Let's discuss you, the Reader. How can you protect yourself so you don't get a stiletto in your back? How can you guard against having blood trickling down your leg? The Answer is the ability to anticipate and recognize this style.

Remember, the Soviet's first criterion for springing the trap is a one-shot deal. So when your old jalopy conks out and you rush to see a used-car dealer in a downtown New York City, Los Angeles, or Philadelphia, what kind of Tactics are you likely to encounter? 

Contrast this to a New-car dealer in Billings, Montana, or Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where reputation is needed for repeat business and survival.

Wherever you may be, should the behavior of the other party cause your antennas to quiver "Win-Lose", you have 3 Options:

1. You always have other alternatives, so pivot on your heels and walk away. Since life is so short, you may even want to tell the manipulator to negotiate with himself or herself.
2. If you have the time and inclination you can enter the fray. By your counter-moves you may well beat the devil at his own game.
3. Artfully switch the relationship from a competitive Win-Lose contest to a collaborative encounter in which you can both meet your needs.

So Readers, In the Next Chapters I'll show you why and how this Transformation can take place, and I will explain Negotiations in which Both sides can win.

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" Negotiating For Mutual Satisfaction "