You’re about to see how to use the “Good Cop Bad Cop” technique to get things done and handle uncomfortable situations.
In business, you’re bound to encounter confrontation which can put a strain on a relationship:
“Hey can you get me that check that was due last month?”
“I noticed that you didn’t link back to us in the integration…would you mind inserting a link there?”
“I’m sorry we’re just not going to be able to build that feature you requested.”
Let’s talk about how you can use good cop bad cop to disarm these situations while minimizing any negative effect on a relationship.
What is the Good Cop Bad Cop Technique?
Let’s lay the foundation: people like doing business with people they like. When someone likes you they’re more likely to do things for you. Thus, it’s always in your best interest to be simpatico with the person on the other side.
But how do you remain in someone’s good graces when someone requests an uncomfortable change to the status quo like in the examples above?
The answer: blame someone else.
The “Good Cop Bad Cop” technique is blaming someone else within your organization for the root of confrontation. This disarms the situation while still making you out to be the good guy.
Let’s add a dose of Good Cop Bad Cop to the statements above:
“Hey my boss is really on me about getting that payment. Can you get me that check that was due last month?”
Bad cop: your boss
“I noticed that you didn’t link back to us in the integration…would you mind inserting a link there. My product team is a huge pain when the link isn’t there and can be challenging to work with a partner when they’re unhappy”
Bad cop: product team
“I’m sorry we’re just not going to be able to build that feature you requested. I tried really hard to make it happen, but my product team won’t budge from their current roadmap.“
Bad cop: product team
The Good Cop Bad Cop technique puts the point of contention on the shoulders of someone else keeping you in a favorable light. The most opportune times to use this are when asking for something and saying no to requests.
I originally shared this strategy to subscribers of my Biz Dev Newsletter a few months ago. If you’re interested in more tactics that people rarely expose publicly you might want to sign up.