The Santa Stratagem

It’s that time of year where thoughts of trading value through negotiating tend to give way to focusing on giving, rather than trading – and rightly so. Treating Christmas as a negotiation when it comes to gifts? Not advisable!

Christmas does tend to be a bigger deal for kids. How many children approach the festivities can teach negotiators some pretty useful things. Letters to Santa? They tend overwhelmingly to be specific, and precise. Not “some toys please Santa” but “the Monster Rotary Excel Electric Blaster” (I kid you not: it exists). In deal-making, such attention to understanding exactly what you want in preparation is best practice. It’s far more in your interests to have a defined and calibrated set of objectives which are specific to the context of a deal than it is to enter the process with a vague or universal ambition (a better deal, more revenue, etc). Experience tells us that when asked what we want for Christmas, a response such as “something nice but not too expensive” can lead to disappointing – but not surprising – results. Be specific – the person asking is far more likely to appreciate a clear answer than one open to a range of interpretations.

Children are also likely to be more proactive when it comes to dealing with pushback than their elders. If you’ve ever been asked - at around 6am on Christmas morning - whether presents can be unwrapped, and answered that it will have to wait until Grandma and Grandpa have arrived for lunch, it’s relatively unlikely that the initial response will have been “that’s fine, perhaps I could help peel the sprouts while we wait”. Far more likely? A barrage of questions and counter-proposals designed to achieve the unwrapping objective. Seeing “no” as an opportunity in negotiating terms is a good thing - and an area where for many grown-ups, channelling their inner child will be useful.

One more thing that kids tend to be very alert to is a key driver of skilled negotiating: differential value. Those sprouts? They’re likely to still be rolling around most kids’ plates while the King’s speech is starting, untouched and unloved. Recognising that a seasonal diet of chocolate, turkey and chocolate is not the best, many parents will resort to persuading, pleading or imposing in order to see some vitamins consumed. A lot of the time this may lead to tears and tantrums, but for many kids the opportunities are clear: if they get to have the first pick at the post-lunch box of chocolates, if they get to open an extra present, if they get “something” that they want in return, then (and only then) will they eat the sprouts. Being able to spot what’s important to their grown-ups, and trade something completely separate against conceding that, is absolute negotiating gold (or frankincense or myrrh, as it’s Christmas).

So, this Christmas, keep an eye out for whatever the youngsters you might be with are up to – you might pick up some very useful insights that’ll see you right in the new year!