What are some strategies to build rapport and trust before a negotiation?

I wasn't sure in which section to post this so I've put it at the top. From the start... Always... AUTHENTICITY. Stay authentic, be you, people buy into people so don't try to be something you aren't.

At every stage of a negotiation be authentic, sincere, true in this way you will be building a relationship of trust and this will put you in a prominent position.

Reviewing people's LinkedIn Profiles can be a great starting point as it can showcase who they are, what they care about, and also help you identify other sources you can look at to better understand what they are looking for. Additionally, having conversations with or connecting with others in their network can help as well.

Let’s bring it back to the basics. That’s how you establish a strong foundation to then build a dynamic and successful negotiation case for yourself. What do I mean by the basics? Show them you care! Ask those higher level questions that lead to higher level answers, and in this case insight into what the company actually needs from you to hit the ground running. Then you speak to those specific points later on in your negotiation. You tell them what you will do for them in this partnership, specifically. The value suddenly trumps a dollar sign. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care!

Sometimes taking notes can be helpful while practicing active listening as well. It's rude to interrupt thoughts of others (not a new concept). We must also be mindful of the fact that simply speaking to be heard is not going to help in building trust either so an inquisitive and interested attitude is crucial - especially at the start of new relationships.

When negotiating a contract I find it helpful to have the other party walk through their adjustments. Understanding the intent and listening to the reasoning may help the parties see that there is common ground it is just being expressed in different ways.

In any negotiation, your first goal is to understand the other side's objectives as well as your own. If you can expand the pie, everyone gets more of what they want. Open-ended questions can help you understand more ways to create value for both sides.

In my experience good examples are found by looking at their posts to understand what the other person values. If they post regularly about family or personal development. Given you are genuinely interested in those, then that is a common interest that you can leverage to build rapport.

Your success is their success and vise versa - that’s how your communications has to come across in your negotiation conversation. Reinforcing the fact that this is a partnership. Be prepared with a ‘30-60-90 day plan’ and speak to those points in a concise yet meaningful way.