This is my last of a series of five columns on negotiating tactics used by insurance adjusters for personal injury claims, my hope is that the lucky majority of you never have to face this situation.

But I hope these columns can provide a protective awareness against manipulative tactics in whatever type of negotiation you might encounter.

At some point in any negotiation, if you push hard enough, you will come up against the portrayal of a brick wall.

I say 91裸聊视频減ortrayal91裸聊视频� because it is impossible to know whether or not you have, in fact, come up against the 91裸聊视频渂ottom line.91裸聊视频�

There are various ways to portray, or signal, a bottom line. On the softer side, you might encounter: 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 my best price,91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频淚 can go as high (or low) as91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

As you push against that portrayal, the signal might become stronger: 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e gone to bat for you with my manager, and that91裸聊视频檚 the very best I can do for you,91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频淚 can91裸聊视频檛 go any lower or I will be selling below cost.91裸聊视频�

As you continue to push, you will eventually reach the strongest of signals. In a retail context, the strongest signal is to actually walk away.

In a personal injury claim negotiation, you might hear: 91裸聊视频淭ake it or leave it, that91裸聊视频檚 the most the insurance company will pay.91裸聊视频�

No matter how strong the signal, though, you still can91裸聊视频檛 be sure if you have really, truly, reached the other party91裸聊视频檚 bottom line. The best negotiators are the best actors; best able to convince you that they have reached their bottom line when they really haven91裸聊视频檛.

But if you walk away, the negotiation is over, right? Why would someone pretend, in the strongest of terms, to be at their bottom line if the 91裸聊视频渟ignal91裸聊视频� means an end to the negotiation?

My father tells the story of getting the best deal he91裸聊视频檚 ever gotten on a vehicle purchase when the salesperson chased him down as he was walking off the lot.

How many of you have had a vendor in Mexico come out of the shop to chase you down the street to offer a better deal after being so very convincing about having given you the very best deal they could?

A purchaser walking away can always walk back. A vendor can always chase down the purchaser.

Even the strongest of signals might simply be a tactic, of bluff, to get to your own bottom line.

This is the most effective of tactics insurance adjusters use in the negotiation of a personal injury claim.

They tell you in the strongest of terms that the amount offered is the most you will ever be offered91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频渢ake it or leave it.91裸聊视频�

They often throw in some threats such as, 91裸聊视频淚f you don91裸聊视频檛 accept this amount now, the offer will go down,91裸聊视频� or lie to you by saying, 91裸聊视频淓ither you accept this from me or you will have to go to trial.91裸聊视频�

In the 20 years I have been in legal practice, the insurance company91裸聊视频檚 offer has always, every time, increased after their bluff has been called and a lawyer retained.

With ICBC, the claim gets automatically transferred from one level of adjuster who deals with unrepresented claimants to a higher  litigation level of adjuster.

I am often contacted by the new adjuster shortly after being retained with the invitation of picking up the negotiation wherever it had left off.

I know that many, many injured victims don91裸聊视频檛 call the insurance company91裸聊视频檚 bluff and instead settle for inadequate, unfairly low levels of compensation for their losses. It91裸聊视频檚 a very effective negotiation tactic.

So how do you protect yourself from this tactic?

Start by getting a free, independent evaluation to learn what level of compensation is fair for your injuries and losses.

At least, then, you can make an informed decision about whether to accept whatever bottom line is being offered to you by the insurance company or to take the negotiation to the next level with the assistance of a lawyer.