Good morning and welcome to The Closer, the newsletter all about deals. Today’s edition is short and sharp — one tactic, backed by research, to help you negotiate smarter. No headlines, no noise — just a Nugget you can deploy by lunchtime.
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COMMITMENT
ESCALATION
Closer Tactic #61 • Deal Psychology
Most people make vague commitments.
Power players create escalating stakes.
The Nugget
Public commitments and escalating stakes can lock in negotiation advantages.
When Elon Musk announced Tesla's production targets publicly, he created commitment pressure that helped in supplier negotiations—vendors knew Tesla had to hit those numbers or face public embarrassment. This commitment escalation gave Tesla more leverage in price negotiations because suppliers understood the urgency was real, not manufactured.
How to Deploy
• Make public commitments that create real pressure to close deals
• Reference your commitments to third parties as negotiation leverage
• Use escalating stakes to demonstrate seriousness
Avoid commitments you can't keep or that give the other side too much power over you.
Takeaway
Public commitments turn your reputation into negotiation leverage.
Reply with a time public commitment helped you in a deal—
we might feature you (and send a mug).