The Elements of Negotiation

ELEMENT 7Image

Before drawing up a plan, I give a great deal of thought to dress, its significance, and what it tells us about other people. I decided to carry out an experiment.

• I got one of my good friends to stand inside a very busy train station in downtown Copenhagen and ask passers-by for money. The first day, he stood there dressed as a successful businessman in a smart suit, a newly pressed shirt with an elegant silk tie, wearing well-polished shoes, carrying a fashionable and expensive attaché case. He asked for money, telling people that he had accidentally left his wallet at the office and needed some money to get home. Several business people and office workers stopped to give him money, quite considerable amounts. Several people suggested that he should take a taxi. At the end of the day my friend had collected over $200.
• The next day my friend stood at the same spot with the same purpose in mind. This time he was wearing ordinary jeans and an ordinary light windbreaker. Just the same as the one the previous day, he asked for money, saying that he had accidentally left his wallet at work. The reaction was different on that day. Passers-by were not as generous as the day before. They suspected him of having some sort of ulterior motive. At the end of the day, he had collected $50.
• On the third day, my friend stood there dressed as a tramp. His clothes were really shabby and dirty and he looked scruffy. He had not combed his hair or shaved. Just as he had done on ...