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Honesty is important in negotiations, in terms of price and in terms of other conditions of the product/service you are offering.
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In general, even if Colombians take an indirect path when communicating, when it comes down to business, being direct (yet considering the other party’s opinion) is appreciated. However, bargaining can happen and decision-making might take time, especially if it’s a high value product/service that will affect the entire organization.
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One key is to set negotiation meetings with the decision makers. If you are a foreigner and you justify that you will be in only for limited time, this might help to catalyze the process of getting an appointment with the right person. This is not that easy many times, since those decision makers tend to meet people (vendors, suppliers, etc) only when other low ranking staff has already met with them. In this sense, it can be considered bureaucratic. This tends to applies to larger organizations in particular.
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It’s not taboo to show emotion when negotiating, especially if it’s a genuine feeling and you are just being transparent about what you think, that’s ok, as long as you remain respectful. Colombians tend to value passionate people.
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Colombians can become animated when negotiating, be sure to not mistake this aggression.
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When negotiations are finished, be sure to return to the small talk for a bit before leaving.
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