Jake Burhans explains how to use a third party in negotiations: when a seller asks for your price, say your partner or team handles the numbers. This deflects direct bargaining, positions the seller as your ally against an unseen internal team, and gives you leverage when you return with a revised offer.
This is something I learned from You Can't Teach a Kid How to Ride a Bike at a seminar and also Mike Gomes, but using a third party when you're negotiating with the seller, right? And the seller's asking you maybe, "What's your price? What's your price?" I might say, "Hey, listen, I'm just reaching out to see if you'd consider selling. My partner actually handles the numbers. He's the one who deals with all that." So using kind of a third party as a deflector, like I'm not the one who deals with it. Or say you're in negotiation with a price, "Let me get back to my team. I'll see what they can do." Right? Like, I'm not trying to negotiate live. It's almost like the seller and I are on the same team against my team in the back room.
