monkey on the back

This negotiation tactic is not very fair, but works wonders.
- It involves putting your burden on the party's back.
- Most people prefer to call this tactic as monkey on the back tactic.
- In this tactic, the negotiator would put the burden of the deal on the other party.
Like, the negotiator could tell the party that the only issue in the deal is that the budget is too low. This way the party would automatically take it on to themselves to see how they can make it work in the said budget.
- Many people prefer to use this as a method of salary negotiation.
Read more on salary negotiation tactics.

Some negotiators refer to this tactic as the ’shuttlecock’ or ‘the ball is in your court’. I prefer to visualise it as a monkey on someone’s back. Some negotiators have the irritating habit of handing their problems to you so that they become your problem. They attempt to put the monkey on your back leaving you to resolve the problem.In this situation I would recommend that you politely and skilfully pass the monkey back to the person or persons with whom you are negotiating.