Negotiating Techniques

There's probably only one thing Norwegians hate more than having to engage in small talk with their business colleagues. That is having to negotiate with them.

Joint Problem Solving

The business culture here is typically more non-combative than found in other cultures. During a difficult negotiation with a competitor, Apple founder Steve Jobs once famously replied he was "willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

In Norway they tend to keep the warheads off the negotiation table and prefer to focus on finding a solution that is equally beneficial to both parties. Negotiation is approached more like joint problem solving: everyone should win.

Transactional Nature

In their deal making and negotiating, Norwegians are very transactional in nature. The deal must feel like both sides win and benefit equally. It has to be a 'win-win.' There is little affordance of one side getting preferential treatment, regardless of their status or reputation.

No Aggressive Tactics

Using highly aggressive sales tactics is never recommended when negotiating with Norwegians. Any type of conflict is never a good idea in Norway. These people are as peaceful as they are humble. To bully your way into a deal or attempt to intimidate the other side will almost certainly kill the deal.

FOMO Doesn't Work

There's a negotiation tactic popular in America and especially Silicon Valley called FOMO — "Fear of Missing Out". The concept is simple: present an opportunity that creates urgency. I can tell you from personal experience, this hardly works in Norway. To attempt to rush a deal doesn't allow a Norwegian to thoroughly examine every detail and solicit the consensus needed.