“Usually, it’s the greedy man that gets conned. For it’s when he seeks something that seems too good to be true that it turns out he’s right.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (click to Tweet)
“How To Prevent And Stop Being Conned In A Negotiation”
People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.
At some point in your life, either during a negotiation or one you didn’t perceive, someone conned you. Upon reflection, you most likely asked yourself, how did this happen to me? You were consciously aware of what you were doing, you had the perception that you could trust the other person, and you may have validated what that person told you. In your mind, you did everything right. So, why did this happen? What secret demons lurked in the unseen shadows that locked you into your hellish experience? The con occurred as the result of one, or several, of the following factors. Continue, and you’ll discover how to prevent and stop scams from being perpetrated against you in the future.
Origins Of Cons
The con process initially starts with the recognition of an offer. It may not be direct, but it stirs an emotion within you to possess what you sense. And, the more enticing it is, the stronger will be its attraction. Accompanying your perception is the ease of its achievement. And that’s usually escorted by the emotion of significant gain for little effort. That thought process may become coupled with the perception of low risk for attaining what someone is offering you. And the mental gymnastic that occurs in your brain ignites a greed factor.
Greed Factor
It’s human nature to want the maximum outcome from the least amount of effort. In a negotiation (you’re always negotiating), be aware of this controlling factor in your engagement with other people. Both you and they are seeking the least course of effort to maximize your outcome. Accordingly, there’s an aspect in which you’ll engage to accomplish that goal.
The next factor closely associated with providing the least effort aspect to achieve a goal is greed. As stated, when you’re negotiating, you’re doing so to maximize your outcome. Thus, to a degree, greediness drives your actions. While this factor may not be an overwhelming force that motivates negotiators, it’s there as a factor; acknowledge it. The reason being, since it’s part of your maximizing efforts, the better you control it, the less control it will have on you.
Con Prevention
To prevent from being conned, you must be alert to the beginning of its origins. Most people haphazardly engage in their day’s activities, oblivious to what’s occurring around them. In so doing, they scream to the con artist, make me your mark.
Observe the following environments and mindsets in which you may be more susceptible to being conned.
Times To Heighten Awareness
- Holidays – During holidays, most people lower their guard to potential cons. They do so because they find themselves in a more festive season in which other people are in the same mood. During such times, a person in that mindset can become a prime target. Thus, even during a negotiation in this period, people may be less forgiving of transgressions that would have promoted them to adopt security measures to prevent from being conned. People’s mindset may be more open to haggling during these times, further exposing someone to falling prey to a deviant’s cons.
- Vacations – Vacations are another time when one should be mindful of how and when one engages in negotiations. Like holidays, someone’s mind can be in a lower state of awareness, which causes them to drop their guard. And then, before they know it, someone has left an unsuspecting soul with less of a bargain than which they thought they’d bargained. Plus, if you’re outside of your usual environment, especially if you’re unaware of your vacationing local customs, you may commit acts that you’d typically avoid due to the atmosphere.
- Depression/Stress – Another point of vulnerability occurs when you’re stressed or depressed. During those times, your thought process becomes hampered. Usually, the culprit causing your depression or stress is triggering you to feel out of sorts. Unlike holidays and vacations, you may unknowingly engage in unhealthy mental negotiations to get the better of someone. The effort would be to make yourself feel better by making someone else feel worse.
If someone attempts to con you when you’re in that state of mind, you become more susceptible to being conned. The reason being, you’re not thinking straight. That allows the con perpetrator to more easily manipulate you – you think you have control over him, and he uses that perspective against you.
Stopping Cons
Always be mindful when you’re in a holiday, vacation, or a depressed mindset. During those times, your emotions may be overly active. And in such a state, you may find your reasoning abilities to be subpar. Thus, if you’re aware of when you’re in such a state, keep your guard higher to fend off those that would commit cons against you. Not until you raise your level of awareness will you be better insulated to defeat those that would seek to defeat you through their wicked ways.
Reflection
Cons are perpetrated against people every day. It happens in negotiations and occurs most of the time because people aren’t aware of their environment, who’s in it, and their greed factor in attaining an offer. Don’t let that happen to you.
In your negotiations, be aware of your surroundings, the mindset you possess, and the reasoning behind your decisions. The more attuned you are to the factors that motivate your actions, the better your efforts will reach outcomes that prevent you from being conned. That enlightenment will make you feel delightful about your negotiation efforts. And everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!
Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://c-suitenetwork.com/radio/shows/greg-williams-the-master-negotiator-and-body-language-expert-podcast/
After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
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