Last time, I talked about how finding the deal is more important than squeezing the other side for every penny. But sometimes, you need to go further. Forget those self-help mantras about “win-win”… strategic unfairness is a tool in your arsenal, IF you know how to use it.
The “Unbalanced Deal” That’s Actually the Smartest Move
Here’s a counterintuitive concept: deliberately offering terms that heavily favor the other party can unlock opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise exist. Why would you do this?
- The Foot in the Door: Getting access to a valuable partner, investor, or customer is sometimes worth an initial loss. This builds trust for more balanced deals later.
- The Time Pressure Play: If you’re up against a deadline, and they’re not, being the “easy yes” can tip things in your favor. You recoup the concessions down the line.
- The “Exposure Trade”: Early on, you might take on a project for little to no money in exchange for the client’s prestige or market reach. This ONLY works if you’re clear about the long-term benefit AND have a plan to extract value from it.
Case Study: The “Too Good to be True” Contract
One of my first big clients as a solo founder was a multinational corporation. They usually work with giant firms – I had no idea why they even called me. Turns out, they had a mess of a project on their hands, and their usual partners wouldn’t touch it for less than an insane fee. I said:
- “Pay Me What You Think Is Fair”: This threw them off. They knew their budget, and it was less than half my usual rate. But they needed this solved ASAP.
- “Success Bonus”: Instead of haggling hourly, I baked in a massive bonus if I hit an aggressive deadline and the project met specific metrics.
- “Kill The Project” Clause: They could walk away at any time with minimal cost. High risk for me, but signaled I was confident in my ability to deliver.
Outcome? I pulled it off, with zero micromanaging because they were busy putting out other fires. The HUGE bonus more than made up for the low initial fee, and it led to years of lucrative work.
When Strategic Unfairness Backfires
This isn’t about being a pushover. Here’s where it goes wrong:
- You Don’t TRULY Know Your Value: Desperation leads to underpricing yourself, which makes it hard to raise rates later.
- They Still Don’t Respect You: Some people sense weakness and will keep taking advantage.
- You Get Taken for Granted: If it was too easy, they won’t appreciate what you bring to the table.
Nice guys don’t always finish last in business, but sometimes you gotta be willing to play a little dirty to get ahead.
Trai S.
Next Time in “Dare to Deal”: Mind games and psychological tactics that give you the upper hand, even if you’re the underdog.
