Successful Negotiation Strategy and Techniques
Sergii Prymachok
The proven Logistics Professional you can trust. Let's connect and grow together!
The art of negotiation is useful to you in any area of life, both personal and business. Therefore, developing a negotiating skill will help you get and achieve more desired results.
Negotiation is the way to resolve the conflict, achieve your goals which, ideally, should lead to a mutually beneficial agreement (win-win).
Negotiation strategy and tactics:
1. Be sure to be well prepared in the area in which you intend to negotiate.
Nothing should shock you. You must know everything about negotiation topic and be in control of the situation.
2. You clearly need to know and understand your goals that you want to achieve during the negotiations.
3. You should be well aware of your maximum boundaries and opportunities (BATNA-Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement).
In case that negotiations do not go as you expected, your maximum position should be clearly defined.
4. Try to find out and understand the needs of the other party as much as possible.
If you manage to do this, then consider that half the success of the negotiations is in your pocket.
Then you need to negotiate with your opponent about how you can satisfy his needs and at the same time get what you want. This style of negotiation is called Win-Win.
For example, it is not necessary to divide the pumpkin in half, 50-50. Maybe your opponent only needs a pumpkin shell to make a lamp out of it, and you only need pumpkin seeds, and the third party may only need the pulp to make the porridge.
5. Learn how to actively listen and record.
Ask a question and listen carefully to the answer. Do not think about what you will ask or talk next.
6. Ask the right questions.
Be sure to prepare a number of constructive questions on the topic of negotiations.
Remember, the one who asks questions has a dominant position in the negotiations.
7. Know how to pause.
This is a very powerful technique. Do not rush to talk or make quick rash decisions all the time. Give your opponent more opportunity to speak and fill in pauses.
If you feel pressure from the other party, also use a pause.
8. If possible, try not to make an offer first.
By any means push the other side to make their decision first. This will be your starting point for negotiations.
9. Offer first.
Yes, I was not mistaken. There are situations when it is better to start first and set the tone for negotiations.
For example, sellers of new cars at car dealerships may say that they give you an exclusive price offered only to car dealership employees.
The client is immediately given a hint that there will be nowhere to reduce the price.
Or when you ask for a salary increase, your manager can tell you that your salary is already several thousand higher than that of other colleagues in the same position.
Therefore, you must have a reliable information to counter such statements.
10. During negotiations, compare the super expensive with the cheap.
11. Compare a very bad option with a good option.
Against the background of contrasts, your option for the other party will seem very acceptable.
12. Never become personal during negotiations. Respect your partner.
You can conduct tough negotiations, but this does not mean that your partner is your enemy, who must be destroyed or defeated.
Always be “soft” to your partner and “hard” only to the topic or problem of negotiations.
Methods of manipulation in negotiations
Manipulation is when one of the parties is trying to control you, to use you as a puppet.
We encounter manipulations everywhere: at home, at work, on vacation and wherever there are people.
What to do and how to behave when someone trys to manipulate you during negotiations?
1. A game of friendship.
When your partner asks for a discount or to make a concession, because "we are friends."
To block such a manipulation, immediately ask for something in return. To get this: you give me, and I will give you.
2. The struggle for power
When someone informally tries to command you or give you directions.
To remove this type of manipulation, in response to another request - ask your opponent to do something for you as well.
If even after that the person will try to manipulate you, then just say: "no". After having several firm refusals, a person will leave you alone.
3. Play on the senses.
When your interlocutor throws you provocative phrases that affect your feelings, such as feelings of guilt, pity, fear, etc.
To block this manipulation, you need to learn to understand how our body reacts to such provocative phrases. Then take a short pause and restrainedly, without emotion, give your answer, which you consider necessary at the moment.
Train! Only training helps us to negotiate effectively.
Try to apply and practice the above tips.
I also advise you to take negotiation courses from the world's best teachers and trainers:
? Negotiation Fundamentals: How to Negotiate Effectively. Alex Kouramanis (1.5 hours / 37 lectures).
? Negotiation Secrets for Master Negotiators. Posted by Dr. Claudia Winkler (2 hours / 18 lectures).
If you have your own interesting tips for conducting successful negotiations, share them in the comments too.