Should you always be honest when negotiating?

Many, if not most, people have found themselves in this situation.

And of course, depending on the situation, you can get away with it. If you're on vacation and haggling over a souvenir at a local market, chances are slim that you'll ever cross paths with that seller again, making it tempting to come up with stories of more lucrative deals from other sellers nearby.

However, in a more professional environment, your paths are much more likely to cross again, and as mentioned in previous posts, your personal reputation is extremely important to become a successful negotiator. Therefore, I always recommend that you conduct negotiations in an honest manner. However, what is important to remember is that being honest is NOT the same as telling your counterpart everything.

Consider these four points as a guideline for your negotiations:

Reciprocity – would you like to be treated the same way?

Publicity – would you be comfortable with your actions being fully and fairly reported in the media?

Universality – would you advise someone else to act in the same way?

Reputation – do your actions create a positive reputation for you?

If you can answer yes to all the points above, you are on the right track both from an ethical point of view but also in terms of becoming the best negotiator you can be.