What are the best practices for staying calm and focused during a high-pressure negotiation?

1 Know your value proposition

Before you enter a negotiation, you need to have a clear and compelling value proposition for your product or service. This is the unique benefit that you offer to your potential customer, and how you solve their problem or meet their need. Your value proposition should be concise, specific, and tailored to your customer's situation. It should also be backed up by evidence, such as testimonials, case studies, or data. Having a strong value proposition will help you communicate your worth, justify your price, and counter any objections.

3 Listen actively and empathize

During a negotiation, you need to listen actively and empathize with your customer. Listening actively means paying attention to what they say, how they say it, and what they don't say. It also means asking open-ended questions, clarifying their needs and concerns, and summarizing their points. Empathizing means showing that you understand and respect their perspective, feelings, and values. It also means acknowledging their emotions, building rapport, and finding common ground. Listening actively and empathizing will help you build trust, reduce tension, and create win-win solutions.

4 Control your emotions and body language

Negotiating can be emotionally taxing, especially when you face resistance, rejection, or hostility. However, you need to control your emotions and body language, and avoid reacting impulsively or defensively. Controlling your emotions means managing your stress, anger, fear, or frustration, and staying calm, confident, and positive. Controlling your body language means adopting a posture, gesture, and expression that convey professionalism, competence, and sincerity. It also means avoiding signals that indicate nervousness, aggression, or dishonesty. Controlling your emotions and body language will help you maintain your credibility, influence, and composure.

5 Be flexible and creative

Negotiating is not a rigid or fixed process, but a dynamic and creative one. You need to be flexible and creative, and adapt to changing circumstances, new information, or unexpected challenges. Being flexible means being willing to compromise, explore alternatives, or change your strategy. Being creative means being able to generate new ideas, solutions, or options that benefit both parties. It also means being able to overcome obstacles, resolve conflicts, or break deadlocks. Being flexible and creative will help you overcome impasses, satisfy interests, and achieve mutual value.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?