How to be confident and prepared for important client negotiations

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Good morning and good Monday, dear fellows BAs!)

My Monday started with the topic of efficient negotiations with clients )

And I reminded myself one more time of one legendary famous quote from the American business environment - "In business, we always get things what we are negotiating, but not only the things that were signed in the contract"!

This is the truth)

Every business analyst should care about the permanent development of negotiation techniques usage. Why? The answer is pretty obvious) Because BA is client faced oriented role and team representative!

Some time ago I collected the best practices in the negotiation area and made some simple framework for my usage.

This framework I want to share with you today!

In my opinion negotiation preparation framework consists of 12 obligatory control zones of our attention. Each control zone should be described and brainstormed before negotiations start or in the process of negotiations continuing. You can do it by yourself Or with needed teammates.

The main result of the proposed framework usage is a deep and complex understanding of the point where we are and what kind of options we have to succeed in negotiations. Based on that versatile information you could create different scenarios for future negotiations.

So let's deep dive into these 12 zones, that are the next:

1. Ensuring a “strong negotiating position.” It means understanding, combining, and balancing the business and personal interests of client representatives. Should be used and realized in the description form of strategic and tactical interests of the parties to the negotiation process.

2. Keep the interest in the case. As the sign of true understanding of what we want to achieve that helps to concentrate and be in focus on the main questions for all participants in the negotiations.

3. Management of resources. Ensuring the availability of resources that help to resolve the work situation creates the opportunity to quickly advance the negotiation process.

4. Time factor. The sooner negotiations are initiated and conducted, that is the better for us. Always prepare the background for negotiations in advance.

5. The force of circumstances. Use existing circumstances favorable to the negotiation process or create them.

6. Use and prepare the right meeting place in advance. Choose the type of place based on the type of negotiations or case. The right place or location creates needed emotional phone and mood, which can affect the results.

7. Create an alternative. Providing an alternative always strengthens your negotiating position by giving your partner the choice! The existence of the variability of proposals for solving a working case increases the degree of trust during negotiations.

8. Avoid and remove risks to reduce the impact of various adverse factors before negotiations. Safety and its feeling before negotiations are first for your client.

9. Ensuring freedom of thought and action expression. That helps to ensure efficient cooperation. In practice, it means the accent on working hypotheses creation and their open discussion, based on scenario planning.

10. General actions plan creation and alignment, as a practical case of cooperation basis.

11. Mandatory agreement on the conclusions of the negotiation process as the point of ultimate satisfaction of interests. And also as a control point for the correct understanding of what is happening now and future intentions.

12. Being focused on strengthening the prospects for developing relationships with the client. A solved working case is an excuse to look more broadly at relationships, expanding and creating opportunities for mutually beneficial development of relationships!

I can recommend visualizing that approach as the form of one-page structured information for the best holistic negotiation picture creation.

Guys, you can use the proposed form from me or create your own)

As a short conclusion, you should use this approach for very important or painful negotiation cases in your practice. For simple negotiation cases, you can save your efforts and use other simple options how to be prepared.

Guys, please share your thoughts about this approach!)

Wish you a productive start to this week!)