Red Line Secrecy

It feels fashionable nowadays to give in to demands. Part appeasement, part assuaging guilt, part moral high ground.

Yet when such demands are so outrageous as to be not only unfounded but also unduly crippling, why persist? As the ol' saying allows, you can change your mind when the facts change. And there's seldom a more obvious fact when someone unfairly wishes to take what is never theirs to hold.

I on occasion cite a lead negotiator in the late 90s with the Serbs. David Owen painfully reaching a state of recognising they never kept a promise, lied throughout, and constantly changed their stance.

Recently, I caught an opinion of someone who knows all about fractious negotiations. Former N Ireland First Minister, Arlene Foster, offered this on any potential Ukraine-Russia 'talks' to end the war of the Bear's brutal invasion.

'Zelensky ... will need to decide where his red lines are and make absolutely sure no one else knows what they are, “otherwise they are going to go to your red line immediately”.'

I gave a slight shudder at reading that. Recalling a time when hearing someone say a cost per unit they could not go below. Only for it to be relayed to the buyer. Who, you've guessed it, made it their mission to get below it. Despite the obvious mis-match and antithesis of win-win resulting.

There is a big issue for me here. It builds from the Iron Law of Buyer Behaviour. Taught me as cubrep. Found to be true ever since.

"Idiots pre-sale, idiots post-sale".

That's how it got expressed back then. (Thank you, Colin.) The general rule being that how a prospect acted during the sale, would be a pretty close guide to how they worked with you once a client.

A buyer that 'plays up', treats what you represent with disdain and generally disrespects you will not end up being a client with which you happily work, supply or engage. Some deal values are simply not worth it. Not all customers are created equal.

The first time you decide to reject the bid, that 'qualify out' call will likely, in my experience, generate all manner of chaos. The odds of them taking it lightly are very slim. But once you stick to your guns, you and your career will be so much the better for it.

We must establish our own red lines, sure. The difficulty can be knowing when to walk away should they be crossed. It certainly is a discipline to get on top of.