Deadlines and Time Pressure.
Time can be a useful weapon in negotiation. Deadlines, real or manufactured, force decisions. But they’re a double-edged sword.
From the club or employer side, you’ll often hear “Here is the offer, and it’s only good until Friday then I’m offering it to another player.” These expiring offers are designed to exploit your fear of loss.
How should you handle them?
First, recognise that many deadlines are bluffs or at least flexible. In a high-stakes sports deal, where the club wants your player, they might set a Friday deadline, but will still be open to doing business days, weeks and on some occasions that I’ve experienced, months later. If someone bluffs a deadline once you know their negotiating style, it loses all its power, and the next time that person issues a deadline, recognise it for what it is.
Second, there are occasionally genuine hard deadlines though, such as the transfer window closing or a budget meeting. Try and verify those by gathering as much information as possible and make a call.
Finally, sometimes there’s no need to test the boundaries. If you’ve done your research and this is the best possible deal available, sign it.
Using deadlines yourself - my 2 rules:
1 - Use them sparingly.
2 - Always stick to them.
Every empty ultimatum harms your credibility.
Example - The player has a good option at £100k per week with his first choice club. His second choice club are also interested. You’ve agreed with the player that if second choice offers 50% more, he’d rather go there. You can put a deadline on the second choice club knowing you’ve got an offer he’s already happy with in the bank. Worst case scenario is still a great scenario.
Emphasise external deadlines rather than personal ultimatums, so it doesn’t feel like a threat.
i.e. “The offer has to come in by Friday because the player has another offer with a deadline of Friday and he doesn’t want to miss that and risk ending up with neither.”
not “you have a deadline of Friday otherwise the deal is off the table”.
To summarise: Used correctly, a deadline can flush out the other side’s true position. They’ll either act or not. Use them too often or without basis, and the other side will simply ignore them knowing you’re crying wolf.