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Nick Beaudoin @dynastybode
Trading is complicated. It’s frustrating to put time and effort into a proposal, just to get rejected for reasons beyond your control. The truth is, however, sometimes the rejection isn’t about the pieces at all.
It’s about the person behind it.
Behind every punny team name and list of players is a human being. A human being with thoughts, emotions, strengths and weaknesses, just like you. There are endless variables as to why they might (or might not) accept your offer, but understanding the concept of Buyer Motivations may just help you unlock the trade that could change your season – or better yet, start your Dynasty.
Buyer Motivations (or Motives) are the psychological factors that encourage consumers to make a purchase. These negotiation tactics are taught to marketing and sales professionals to help influence buyers and get the deal done.
Every purchase is made based on one of two motivations: Emotional or Rational. Identifying your partner’s motive(s) will help determine the best approach before sending your proposal. Below we will establish four trade motives and strategies to consider when preparing your next offer.
1. Need = Rational Motivation
Need is the most apparent buyer motive. When a player needs something, or their team has a problem you can help solve, they will be inherently motivated to consider your offer.
In this instance, it’s helpful to start a conversation. This is your opportunity to get them thinking and help them realize (on their own) that they have a need within their team. Here are some conversation starters you can try:
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“Do you have any interest in Mike Evans?”
“What would you want in return for Kyle Pitts?”
“Are you looking for an RB while Nick Chubb is out?”
Despite “Need” being a rational motive, it is still believed that the single biggest motivator is emotional response. People are more likely to buy when the process feels comfortable and natural.
This tactic avoids the potential of annoying your partner with a laughable blind offer – or worse, making them think they are being taken advantage of. Pride is always on the line in a trade, so by giving your partner “control” and letting them dictate the negotiation, you can create an element of trust that may not exist when sending out a standard offer.
This is the KP I expect to see this season. Be that unicorn we know you can be
pic.twitter.com/Bglh0YT1bM— Atlanta Falcons (@DirtyBirdz_11) August 20, 2024
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2. Impulse = Emotional Motivation
Impulse buying is built on excitement, with the goal of motivating people to act quickly.
If you fall in love with Player X and predict their value will increase in the future, sometimes the best strategy is to just “overpay” from the start. Instead of lowballing and offending them (like so many of us love to do), surprise them with a little bit extra, or an offer they can’t refuse.
Convince them to accept on impulse.
Let’s also discuss the concept of player value and “overpaying.” Trade calculators like KeepTradeCut are valuable, but they aren’t everything. What they are, however, are useful tools when trying to determine the public’s value and opinion of a player.
Let’s use Kyler Murray as an example:
Kyler Murray’s dynasty value over time” width=”1024″ height=”365″ />
From November 2020-2021, Murray (mostly) held the QB1 throne as the most important asset in Dynasty. In order to obtain him, you were going to have to send away multiple first-round picks or equivalent assets, just like you would with Josh Allen today.
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By November ’22, his stock had fallen to QB9, where Jordan Love sits today. This is the current equivalent of a single early ’24 first, Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall.
After his knee injury, his value continued sinking to QB16, as Dynasty managers debated what to do with the young star. If you bought him at this point, you would have been buying at his lowest value, currently equal to Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, or a mid-’24 first.
Despite playing less than half of the ’23 season, Kyler has moved back up to QB11 on KTC. At just 27 years old and more than a year removed from his injury, there is plenty of reason to believe he will crack the top 10 this year, and increase in value once again.
Depending on when you bought or sold Kyler, he may have been (or could still be) a steal or an absolute bust. The point is that although a trade calculator may view you as “losing” a trade today, things could very well change in the future. Player and pick values can fluctuate drastically, but trust in yourself and your own valuations at the end of the day.
Kyler Murray
•QB3 in 2020
•Elite rushing upside
•Adds Marvin Harrison
•5th among QBs in fantasy points per game since 2019pic.twitter.com/9E7m4crnSJ— Nick Guglielmo (@NextLvl_Fantasy) July 6, 2024
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3. Fear/Acceptance = Emotional Motivation
By creating a sense of urgency, you can play off fear and/or acceptance motives to build irrationality that may not have existed before.
Some examples of this are:
The Trade Deadline (Fear): Fear is considered the most powerful (and frowned upon) marketing tool. If your team is out of the playoffs, it may make sense to sell aging assets for future picks. If you can (subtly) bring awareness to your partner that their team will be of championship caliber with the addition of your player, you can use the trade deadline to your advantage, potentially getting more in return than you would have just a week before.
The Rookie Draft (Fear): Rookie draft picks gain value every second leading up to the pick. Your league-mates have been studying and falling in love with players for weeks, months, sometimes years leading up to this moment. If you are considering moving back or selling your pick, it may benefit you to wait until your rookie draft to capitalize on this motive.
Create a Bidding War (Acceptance): Acceptance is known as the “FOMO” of buyer motives and is responsible for most trends in our society. Nobody wants to miss out on the next big thing, and everybody wants to be involved. If you have a coveted asset you are looking to move, consider making an announcement to your league that you are accepting offers, and create a bidding war to raise the price.
Oh my, Malik Nabers 😳
📱: Stream #NYGvsHOU on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DtWCdOb7Sd
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— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2024
4. Aspiration = Emotional Motivation
Aspirational buyers (and sellers) are motivated by self-improvement. This is almost always an emotional decision and is helpful when someone shows interest in a specific pick or player. If you are open to dealing the asset, this allows you to begin the negotiation with a higher asking price than normal. Depending on how highly they value them, they may be willing to pay more than they would originally like.
Take some time to consider your options, then plan multiple offers out in advance. Start with an offer that (you assume) is higher than they are willing to pay, but not offensive. Find that sweet spot.
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Send along one or two more “reasonable” offers that are still high, but ones you would be willing to accept. You’ve set the asking price high, so the idea is that after scoffing at your initial offer, one of these next two will look just right. We call this the Goldilocks.
It’s important to remember that you have the upper hand, and you do not need to move the asset if you don’t want to. But no matter which side of the trade you are on, you are both motivated with dynasty aspirations.
Dalton Kincaid is taking full advantage of his opportunity 😎#TBvsBUF on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/E5pvHuys2o pic.twitter.com/adbR18ZfiQ
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— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2023
Conclusion
Dynasty trading is like riding the stock market. There are no defined rules or guidelines. There are no guarantees your offer will be accepted, or work out like you hoped. There is no foolproof formula to pull off trades, but understanding and applying Buyer Motives can give you the advantage to get that deal done.
So be patient, and have fun. It’s just a game.
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Just kidding.
Bijan RobinsonBreece HallDak PrescottDrake MayeJordan LoveJosh AllenKyle PittsKyler MurrayMike EvansNick Chubb Dynasty TradesFantasy Tradesfantasy tradingTrading
