Competitive Negotiating Types
Competitive negotiators are highly results-driven, focussed and assertive, and they can often become aggressive. They thrive in a negotiation situation as they enjoy the opportunity to win. Competitive negotiators have a strategic mind, so they don’t tend to get phased by their opposition. Being right matters more to you than preserving relationships.

When this works:
- Useful negotiation style to use when you need to get results quickly
- Needed when the subject matter of the negotiation is non-negotiable
- Use when you need a guaranteed win over the other party
- Most likely to win against an Accommodating negotiator
When to be careful:
- Aggression is not the answer. Keep your temper in check
- Competitive style is a well-used tool in negotiation, so be careful because the other party may be able to prepare easily against this style
- Some recruiters may avoid candidates with high compete negotiation styles
Defence against other negotiation styles:
Now you know about your own negotiation style, here’s some tips on how to recognise negotiators with other styles, and more importantly, how competitive negotiating types can win against them.
Collaborative
How to recognise | How to win |
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Collaborative negotiators are open and honest. They try to understand the concerns of the other party and aim to find creative solutions to mutually satisfy both parties. They may explore many different possible avenues to do this. |
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Compromising
How to recognise | How to win |
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Compromiser negotiators do what is fair for both parties. They would rather settle with less in order to satisfy the other party’s needs. Watch out, they often rush negotiations and make large concessions. |
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Avoiding
How to recognise | How to win |
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Avoider negotiators strongly dislike conflict, so will try to dodge negotiations by any means possible. They may be seen to pass responsibility on to other team members or avoid the negotiation situation altogether. |
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Accommodating
How to recognise | How to win |
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Accommodating negotiators are friendly and interested in creating a positive dynamic for the negotiation. Also keen to smooth over conflicts as quickly as possible. They are mainly concerned with building and preserving relationships between parties. |
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