The golden bridge
Written by Jamie May
This closing technique comes out of conflict resolution, but originally from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. ‘Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat’
In the Art of War, the general wrote that people cornered will fight to the death. If you have someone over a barrel rather than holding their feet in the fire, you can offer them an escape route, in the direction you want them to go.
A choice of one is better than a choice of none.
The same as the old ‘paint the person into a corner close’, it’s a little bullying this tactic and I wouldn’t pull it out unless it’s a hard-nosed negotiation.
You can use this if you have a good memory or good notes, for example ‘you said…’
Or, ‘this and that and this are all bad options, so I guess it’s the annual subscription’.
Sun Tzu also said to treat people with dignity and respect, so be careful of destroying future negotiations with this.
