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September 4, 2012
Negotiation is a critical business skill and unfortunately, many of us fail to plan a negotiation, which in turn is a plan to fail. To be successful, it is critical to plan your discussion and lay out specifically how your ideal negotiation should flow.
Here is what top negotiators do –
They plan ahead and decide what they “need to have” and what they “want to have”. They plan the strategies to use to get what they want. For example, when negotiating with a customer, they identify ahead of time, what they “want” in terms of fees for services and how much they “need” to make this a profitable deal.
Top negotiators also plan how they will open – specifically, the first few minutes of the meeting. It is a way to gain control of the process and avoid making costly mistakes. When they present their first offer, they “wrap” the offer in value so the benefits are clear to the other person.
Top negotiators , with a goal of achieving a Win-Win outcome, spend time planning how (meaning what quesitons will they ask) they will identify the wants and needs of the other person. They prepare to identify the motivation of the other person so they can find common ground if the first offer is not acceptable.
Top negotiators know in advance of the negotiation itself if they can compromise on something and if there are items they cannot compromise on.
Finally, top negotiators plan to create an environment of open respectful communication so all parties have their needs heard and feel as if they “Won” when walking out.
If you want to learn how you can apply the skills and strategies of top negotiators, click here for our Next Negotiation Public Workshop
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