Negotiation is an art, and it’s certainly a skill every business individual should master. More importantly, it’s the type of endeavor all entrepreneurs should attain. Ask yourself the following question: where should you invest your time and energy as far as negotiations are concerned? Everything starts with a basic rule that’s meant to ensure that you’re mediating with the right decision makers.
Negotiation demands passion
‘Am I addressing to the owner/CEO/manager?’ That’s how you start negotiating; otherwise, you risk dealing with people who are not in a position to make decisions. As a devoted business person, it’s extremely important to make an opponent buy whatever comes out of your mouth, and then make them confide in your ideas. Simply put, you’re not selling ideas that are brilliant; you’re selling your own persona. It’s not easy to convince someone to trust your allegations, so the best way to gain trust is to approach negotiations the other way round. Put yourself in the shoes of the other party, and ask yourself what it would take to accept as true the ideas of your opponent.
Approaching the ‘practice makes perfect’ mantra
Credibility in negotiations is vital, and if people can’t see you’re genuine, they won’t be interested in doing business with you. Try as much as you can to be measured with your claims and don’t ask for a huge discount from the first 5 minutes of the negotiation. The cornerstones of one’s ability to persuade are in the level of authority that person can entail on a counterpart. The moment you open your mouth, the people with whom you’re negotiating have to believe what you’re saying.
There’s a great chance for people to eavesdrop, but unless they believe you they won’t act. Here’s an excellent way of approaching the situation: “Do they actually believe what I’m saying?” “Am I being convincing enough?” “Do they want me to tell them more?” – These are essential question you have to ask yourself in a negotiation. If you haven’t managed to be credible, your listeners might not be so enthusiastic to endorse your products.
Control vs. arrogance
It’s ok to be in control and lead the conversation in a firm tone. Yet, that doesn’t mean you should be arrogant. A good example of a hostile strategy is the ‘all or nothing’ method. Making unrealistic demands, raising your voice, and acting superior will never make your counterpart agree to your demands. On the contrary; you might scare away your partners with your bossy attitude and they’ll most likely leave the negotiation table.
In the end, everything comes down to being professional; there’s no need for a negotiator to have a hyper-aggressive attitude to gain respect because it’s impossible to build a good reputation by relying on a Machiavellian sense of terror. In business, negotiating for the first time is the most difficult step. In time, you’ll manage to develop the art of smart bargaining, and eventually you’ll become a master at negotiations. Believe it or not, sometimes it’s best to compromise if you want to advance, however you have to do it with credibility.
The benefits of being prevention-focused
Great negotiators possess one main quality: they’re able to concentrate on their target in spite of potential risks they might be facing along the way. Research shows that people who are focused on their goals hold a special characteristic known as promotion focus.
Those who are prevention-focused as far as their goals are concerned find it easier to attain their goals. If we think about aims in terms of probable wins, we become a lot more comfortable with taking risks, and we’re not that afraid to lose anymore. Prevention-focused individuals are all about staying safe, yet they have a lot to gain because they’re conservative and credible.
Success in negotiations can be achieved only if you stop second guessing yourself. It’s all about being passionate about what you’re going, and sometimes that passion is directly linked to taking risks. They say you can’t win in business if you’re not ready to take chances. To some extent, that’s true; however, why should a business individual make unfounded compromises when he can learn the most common tricks used in negotiations and use them to his advantage?
This article is drawn by a regular business writer Jason Phillips. His articles are usually published by high ranking sites and appreciated by readers too. Also he recommends site http://www.thegappartnership.com.hk to get negotiation workshops in 12 languages in over 50 countries.
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