After a decade heading up the NSW Police Crisis Negotiation task force, it’s fair to say that Steve York really is a master when it comes to getting people to come to an agreement. He’s dealt with everything from $150m business deals to armed hostage negotiations and estimates he has personally negotiated over 400 critical situations in his career so far.
Steve passed on a wealth of information in ten short minutes, with most of his learning directly useful to anyone thinking of negotiating the purchase (or sale) of their own home or investment property.
His key principles?
4:55- always act professionally, with ethics and absolute consistency. You never know who’s watching you and when you have to deal with people again. Treat all people well and the respect will come back to you.
6:15- stick to open ended questions and be an active listener. Dont ask questions that confront, rather ask questions that allow the other parties to keep the conversation flowing and open up options and inevitably lead to multiple solutions.
7:45- do your research, because it can be both a sword and a shield, and will assist you to understand all your options and give you more confidence in the way you handle the deal.
9:50- emotions drive decisions, perspectives and positions. Uncover the emotions at play driving the other parties and you can direct the negotiation much better.
This interview has been one of my most interesting so far – well worth a listen if you’d like to know how to be a better deal maker.
