Korean Negotiations - Dirty Ballet

I'm entering into yet another Korean negotiation at the moment.

Korean negotiations always begin as an impossibility. Literally.

If you try to negotiate in Korea - bless you - at the outset you will most likely be told something like: "Sorry but for 'x' reason we need to do (the opposite of what you want) so please accept what I just offered you." Thus the dirty ballet begins.

The dirty ballet-phase of Korean negotiations is essentially a back-and-forth of you making your initial request over and over, and your counterpart making excuses, stalling and begging you to accept whatever solution is easiest for them to gain approval for.

It's key to maintain your composure during this phase. It's equally important to pay close attention to everything your counterpart say - particularly their excuses.

Sometimes excuses can be legit. Korean corporations are notoriously rigid, and unless you're dealing directly with a senior executive or the CEO, your counterparty will be hard pressed to deviate from the standard approach.

Luckily I'm dealing directly with the VP in charge of the Corporate HR Team at my prospective new company. With senior executives a firm yet modest approach is the way to go in my experience. Hopefully that holds true again this time.