Find a Mentor to Guide You Through Negotiations

One of the best things you can do for yourself as a business owner is to find a mentor. It is a well-known fact that the people you surround yourself with affect you in very profound ways. Why not be intentional about finding a mentor who can guide you in ways that will save you years of on-the-job-training and who will introduce you to a network currently beyond your reach?

The good news is that there are mentors for all aspects of business development. Even better news is that no matter what kind of mentor you need — for marketing, business development or negotiation, for instance — you should consider the same five characteristics:

• Compatibility. Look for someone you can easily get along with and who you admire. This will ensure smooth communication and mutual respect.
• Values alignment. Do you share the same ethical beliefs regarding business strategy and growth?
• Mutual gain. Mentors should learn from you as you learn from them.
• Accountability. Your mentor should hold you accountable and not help you make excuses for missed deadlines or setbacks.
• Commitment. A mentor is someone who is vested in your success and sees the potential in you.

Scaling your business will most likely involve more detailed, challenging and difficult negotiations with existing and potential partners. Great negotiators understand that a lot of their success is based on experience, skill, and trial and error. Great negotiators also understand the important role of creativity and innovation during the negotiation process.

Like a business mentor, a negotiation mentor can help you by sharing hard-won experience and can be a great sounding board for new ideas and different or diverse ways of thinking and presenting.

Where’s the best place to find a negotiation mentors? Look for and join organizations where business leaders network. Listen to interviews with the business leaders you admire. Follow them on LinkedIn and read their books.

Contact me if you need some help thinking this through or if you want to hone your negotiation skills. I’m on a mission to help women business owners embrace creative thinking in business.