All businesses will engage in some form of negotiations during the course of normal activities. Whether or not you are a solo entrepreneur or are starting a business complete with a few employees this is going to be true. Plenty of different situations are going to call for some negotiation. You’ve probably already done this, during those times when you’ve had to haggle over something on the phone (or in person). It does, however, require more than simple haggling techniques to properly negotiate with another business. It is complicated and there are many highly advanced techniques that you need to learn to get through professional negotiations. If you are inexperienced in business negotiations, then do the smart thing and begin your education, right here.
So many businesses, and other situations, rely on people blindly accepting what they are told. Questioning authority is not something people often do when they are involved in negotiations. Most of the time there are going to be internal questions that don’t get brought up or addressed. You need to have the motivation to challenge all of the things that are said and decided–within reason. It isn’t hard to do this in a non-offensive manner during negotiations. It’s important to be able to face the attacks that will undoubtedly be made upon the trust you feel toward the other person. If such an attack succeeds, or you cannot think of what to say, then you can be put on the defensive and this perceived slight used against you.
It’s common for personal values and personalities to inform how professional negotiators do what they do. Some professional negotiators are determined to win with no regard to what they have to do to the other person to get there. This mindset is reflective of a win-no win outcome and is wholly opposite of a win-win mindset and outcome.
You have to choose your approach and then learn how to succeed with it. It takes really good negotiation skills to take on win-no win strategies. Or, you’ll need to exert a certain type of ruthlessness which may not always be possible. You will be much better served with a win-win strategy if you can put yourself into the other side’s position. Understanding the other side’s position and point of view can be really useful in creating a win-win outcome.
Always be asking yourself what you will feel okay doing to help yourself reach the goals you set before you started negotiations. Are you okay pushing through pressures of time or the closure that is desired? Everybody is capable of getting tired of the negotiating process and that will often lead to one party showing signs of a desire to just get finished. Just don’t let the one showing signs of fatigue be you. This is where it becomes important for you to find the mental strength and inner toughness to stick with it through to the end. What is important is that, no matter how you feel, you practice some endurance. Allowing yourself to display signs of being weary of negotiating will just open up opportunities of exploitation for the other side.
The person who has done the most and the hardest work usually gets the upper hand when it comes to negotiation. This is the truth because you are going to need to make sacrifices so that you will be able to develop the best possible negotiation skills. You’ll also need courage so that you can use the skills correctly.
