Negotiating is a vital skill for managers, but it can also be challenging, especially when you face resistance from the other party. Resistance can take many forms, such as objections, demands, threats, or silence, and it can derail your efforts to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. How do you overcome resistance when negotiating? Here are some tips to help you.
Resistance is often a sign of underlying needs, interests, emotions, or fears that the other party has not expressed or addressed. Before you try to persuade or counter them, you need to understand where they are coming from and what they really want. You can do this by asking open-ended questions, listening actively, acknowledging their perspective, and summarizing their main points. This will help you build rapport, trust, and empathy, and show that you care about their situation.
In my experience, if you have a a strong position in a negotation you should use it wisely and timely. Try to learn as much as you can from the position of your counterparty while he/she displays resistance without divulging your own hand during a negotiation. Attack only when you have the right arguments. Only then you can break the resistance of your counterpart quite easily. Remember silence is golden.
In my experience, resistance is also a sign of lack of communication and understanding of what are the underlying issues of a negotiation. I don’t necessarily agree that just because you think that you have certain advantages, you can persuade the other party to accept your terms to overcome their resistance. This approach may work sometimes, or be a short term solution, but in the medium or long term this approach and method of vertical communication/negotitation where you impose yoir terms will be detrimental to your business A better aporoach is not only listening, but using horizontal communication, where a better solution comes naturally during this negotiation, without purposely trying to impose your terms in the other party.
In a negotiation stalemate there is the need to analyze the bone of contention and what you can do that will not change the dynamics or introduce something of equal importance to the other team, which may sway them to discuss to cool off stands for some time. or postpone the discussion. then undertake background checks and informal discussions with team members one after the other. it could be a game or something that interest member the most. In the heat of conducive discussion and happiness, you then bring back the previous idea and let the make commitment to close the deal.
I always start by paying attention to what the other person says and using open-ended questions to understand their viewpoint better. This helps to establish rapport and confidence and find mutual interests to foster collaboration. I also make sure the benefits are?understood and?stay ready to make sacrifices or give alternatives if needed. I try to maintain?composure and exercise patience to handle any possible emotional conflicts. If necessary, I will take breaks to ease the pressure and give importance to win-win solutions. Lastly, stay ethical and maintain trust by following through on agreements.
Sometimes resistance is caused by a narrow or fixed view of the problem or the solution. The other party may see the negotiation as a zero-sum game, where one side wins and the other loses, or as a conflict of positions, where they have to defend their stance at all costs. You can overcome this by reframing the problem as a shared challenge, where both sides have common goals and interests, or as a creative opportunity, where they can explore different options and alternatives. You can use positive language, metaphors, analogies, stories, or examples to help them see the situation in a new light.
Well.share the same perspective a d using the wise argument wins you however if the other person doesn't have any valid ground you need to uncover it. And we can win the argument.going with full preparation is very important.
Resistance can also stem from legitimate concerns or doubts that the other party has about your proposal or offer. They may worry about the risks, costs, benefits, feasibility, or implications of your solution. You can address these concerns by providing evidence, logic, testimonials, or guarantees to support your case. You can also use the contrast principle, where you compare your offer with a worse scenario or a lower value, or the reciprocity principle, where you make a concession or a favor in exchange for their cooperation.
Asking 'why?' is crucial here, so you can understand the other party's concerns...often these can be solved by a minor tweak to wording in a contract, or satisfied by a clear explanation as to why they are perhaps less relevant than the other party first thought. Doing this sensitively and kindly can pay great dividends.
Resistance can vary in intensity and tone, depending on the personality, mood, and attitude of the other party. You need to adapt your style and approach to match their level of resistance and emotion. You can use four basic styles of negotiation: accommodating, avoiding, competing, or collaborating. Accommodating is when you give in or compromise to maintain harmony. Avoiding is when you withdraw or postpone the issue to avoid confrontation. Competing is when you assert or pressure to win the deal. Collaborating is when you cooperate or problem-solve to find a win-win solution. You should choose the style that best suits the situation and the relationship.
Resistance is not always a bad thing, as it can indicate that the other party is engaged and interested in the negotiation. However, sometimes resistance can be too strong, unreasonable, or unethical, and it can signal that the other party is not willing or able to negotiate in good faith. In such cases, you need to know when to walk away from the negotiation, or at least take a break or seek a third-party intervention. You should have a clear idea of your best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA), which is the most favorable option you have if you cannot reach a deal. You should also have a reservation point, which is the lowest or highest value you are willing to accept. These will help you decide when to continue or quit the negotiation.
In my experience, BATNA can work to advantage of the resistor. As a nursing educator, if a university does not provide a salary offer that aligns with expectations and BATNA, the educator searches other job opportunities and can accept an offer from a different institution that is more in alignment with their goals.