You’re in a high-stakes negotiation with a client. How can you keep the conversation going?

I would try my best to understand their world and what drives them to speak/ think the way they do. Then, I would demonstrate this understanding back to them by mirroring, labeling or paraphrasing. I learned it from the Chriss Voss book- Never Split the Difference. This tip has never failed me.

Negotiation is won on 1 thing: Information. It's the secret to all influence: Show people that you have what they want. And give it. You can only know what they want by turning off the little voice inside your head and really listening. The inner voice says: "I need to say my thing before it's too late!" If you say what you want before knowing what the other side wants, it's called "spilling your ask." You lose information, and you lose rapport. It comes across as greedy. Most people spill their ask. They give up the benefit of information and good rapport. All you have to do is not spill your ask, and you'll win most negotiations.

Active Listening: Show you are actively listening by recapping points, asking questions, and acknowledging their perspective. Clarify Objectives: Clearly express your objectives and desired outcomes. Focus on Solutions: Focus on finding mutual ground and beneficial solutions to keep the dialogue positive and constructive. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Invite them to share their thoughts and concerns by asking open-ended questions to get detailed responses. Keep a Positive Tone: Keep the conversation professional and respectful. Seek Common Ground: Look for areas of agreement or shared interests. Be Transparent: Be honest about your intentions and constraints to build trust and credibility with the client, and Follow Up after the negotiation.

Preparation is indeed key for any negotiation, and even more critical for high-stakes negotiations. It's important to research/anticipate what's most important to each party and what is less important to see where concessions on both sides could be made to come to a mutually beneficial deal. It's also useful to see if there might be a possibility that my lowest acceptable target price may still be too high for the other party. If so, one may need to prepare also for 'higher-ground' negotiations which can be an alternative to making a bad compromise or walking away from a possible deal.

"Staying in the quesion," is a secret of those that get answers. It might sound simple, but many people love to tell people what they want to have them hear rather than guiding them to those answer on their own by asking them questions and getting them solid as a result. Let people get to conclusions on their own rather than trying to force them.

In order to get to the 'truth', the optimal mindset is critical when asking questions. We should avoid wanting to get answers that we already assumed but instead be non-judgmental and curious about the other party's position and their 'truth'. Yes, 'what' and 'how' questions tend to be the best open question types. 'Why' questions can be a bit tricky as they could come across judgmental. Luckily, most 'why' questions can be replaced with what or how questions.

Often it can be a common practice for people to listen to respond. But if instead, they listen to truly understand you are then able to connect with the person on the other side of the table to where they feel that you are truly caring about a resolution. If You truly listen. You will hear everything you need to succeed in your negotiation.

Often it can be a common practice for people to listen to respond. But if instead, they listen to truly understand you are then able to connect with the person on the other side of the table to where they feel that you are truly caring about a resolution. If You truly listen. You will hear everything you need to succeed in your negotiation.

It's also useful to pay attention to what is not said and to 'congruence' between what is said and the person's emotions, body language and voice. For example, if they say "I really struggle to find your offer acceptable" and yet their face or voice doesn't show any sign of 'struggle', then this may not be 100% true and perhaps only a tactic to get you to make a better deal. Perhaps the deal is already good enough, and they just try to push further. If you can pick up on such incongruence, you could inquire more into it, in this case, for example, by asking "So which part do you really struggle with?" or "What do you mean by 'struggling'?"

What comes out of our mouth is vital to manifesting what we want. Positive words sprout positive actions. What ever you say after I Am becomes truth.

In order to have the 'right' evidence available when needed, again, preparation is key! At the same time, 'bombing' the other party with data can have the opposite effect, so it's important to know when to pick which piece of evidence, and in which manner. For that, we need to develop a sense of how the other party processes information and adjust as good as possible to their communication preferences.

Seeking feedback can be the difference between a successful leader or one that is not. Accepting and being thankful for feedback is an asset. And it does not mean that you have to implement the feedback. Speaking for myself, When somebody gives me feedback, I make it very clear to them that I'm thankful for them showing up in the way that they did and right or wrong, I want them to continue to doing so because I value them as a team member.