How to negotiate ? A practical guide

Everyone negotiates. When several people are involved, actions are almost always preceded by negotiations, whether with friends, family or colleagues. The question is not whether he negotiates, but to what extent he negotiates.

Negotiation is essential to any group project, whether it's a picnic or an e-mail campaign, but in the workplace, your negotiation skills equate to your success and happiness at work. It's a skill and an art, involving practical advice and methodologies, but also a wealth of psychological information.

Negotiation skills aren't just good for you; they're good for the whole organization. Poor negotiations or a lack of negotiating skills can affect results and ruin customer relationships. So, if you're curious about how to negotiate, start by learning these skills and tactics. They'll come in handy the next time you negotiate a commitment at work, at home or even on vacation.

Negotiation techniques

Having the right set of skills will help you in any business, and the same goes for negotiation. If you have the following skills, negotiation will be more successful.

Being prepared

Never engage in blind negotiation. Without context, no amount of negotiating skills will help you. So get to know the product, service or whatever it is you're negotiating about.

You want to prepare by understanding not only what you'll be dealing with, but who you'll be dealing with and what kind of person they are. Create a to-do list of items to look for before you start trading, so you have everything covered. That way, you'll know how to present an engagement that will appeal to the other person.

Listen

Often, when negotiating, emotions can get the better of you and you may find yourself talking about the other person. This kind of aggressive approach is bound to backfire, or at least keep the negotiation heated. Nobody wins in this type of exchange, and a lot of time will be wasted due to a lack of communication.

Instead, try active listening, where you hear not only what the person says, but how they say it, including their body language. By listening carefully, you'll learn more than you would by engaging in a shouting match.

Be impartial

Emotional outbursts may feel good right now, but what they're doing is showing the other party that you're no longer in control. This gives them an advantage, because if you give in to frustration or other passionate emotions, you're more likely to grant something you don't want, or worse, disrupt the whole negotiation process.

Communicate

Naturally, one of the most important skills in negotiating is being a good communicator. You need to get your message across clearly and effectively. Poor communications lead to misunderstandings and potentially unresolved conflicts, which doesn't help anyone.

Collaboration

Collaborative skills are useful because negotiations are not necessarily an "us versus them" scenario. Most negotiations are actually a type of collaboration in which two parties with different points of view meet and together find some form of mutual satisfaction. By working together, negotiations are less combative and there are no hard feelings in the end, because everyone wins.

Be a decision-maker

Negotiations come to an end. There comes a point when both parties have given up a little and are standing in a shared space that is mutually acceptable. It's at this point that you have to decide to accept the agreement, but some people simply can't. They're indecisive or delusional, and think they might get another concession. The ability to decide when to stop is the key to successful negotiations.

Negotiation tactics

Having the skills to negotiate is just the beginning. Now comes the act of negotiating, where you can put those skills to good use. Here are some tactics you can use.

Don't think in terms of winning

If you go into a negotiation with the attitude that you're going to win, you've already failed. It's not about competition. It shouldn't be contentious. Instead, you should enter a negotiation with a clear picture of your goals and objectives. Remember, this is a collaboration. You're not beating someone up, you're working with them to get the best possible solution for your interests.

Think of the other person

Empathy is good, but what this tactic really does is address the give-and-take of any negotiation. If you can help the other person, if you know what you need, what your goals and objectives are, then you know what to bring to the table. Even if you don't know what they want, you can always ask. This can help you get down to business, and you'll surely win points with the other person, which can foster the collaborative atmosphere present in all successful negotiations.

Don't assume, clarify

Both parties will probably enter a negotiation with many preconceived ideas about what the other wants. But there's no guarantee that either party knows the other's motivation or problems. Therefore, it's always a good idea to start negotiations on the same wavelength by asking the other party what their motivation is.

Find out how they see the deal from the outset, and clarify yours too. This creates transparency for the process and allows negotiations to start from a point of understanding, eliminating a lot of unnecessary clutter and allowing you to get straight down to business.

Don't make threats

This reflects the impartial attitude shared by all positive negotiations. If you let emotions dominate your negotiations, you're more likely to threaten to withdraw or issue an ultimatum that will disrupt the discussion. Stay professional. Remember, you're in the workplace and you have to work with these people. Burning bridges will leave you stuck.

Negotiations can get heated, but you don't get anywhere by letting the pot boil. The worst thing you can do in a negotiation is paint yourself into a corner threatening this, that or the other. It's self-destructive, and negotiations are supposed to be constructive.

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