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Published 9th Feb 2009 Posted by admin |
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When we realize that virtually every aspect of our business and personal life requires negotiation, the advantage of being a better, more effective negotiator is clear.
Negotiation skills are generally not part of our formal education, but use these skills throughout the day, every day. These skills are the very essence of our professional and personal lives. No matter if we are General Motors or the corner snowball stand or our family, we all need to communicate and convince effectively. What is negotiation, anyway? Negotiating can be explained as simply “working alongside others to achieve a beneficial result.” Fortunately, practice is a skill that can be learned. This is not a genetic trait we’re born with, like blue eyes or black hair. So no matter what our age or our position in life, if we want to develop a certain attitude of negotiating, paying attention to the improvement of our knowledge, our life will run smoother. Some things to consider when developing a negotiating strategy: • Act collaboratively, not competitively. Is not “me against you.” When we see the other person as a negotiating partner, we realize that everyone should go out with a profit. It is a great mistake to think that someone is going to give something for nothing. Therefore, try to determine what the other person might want to change what you want. And then present your case to demonstrate that in the event that will help you get what you need, you will help them get what they need. Make “mutual benefit” his mantra. • Personalize the situation, treating them as individuals, not institutions or companies. You are not talking to “the Tchula bank”, but Charlie Smith, the person sitting in front of you, who represents the bank. Meat and bone Charlie Smith. Realize that they negotiate on your behalf, on behalf of the company. When you see the other person in this sense, you are able to look in his eyes. This eye contact • Raise your expectations. Usually get what you expect. If you do not think you will get the promotion, probably not. If you do not think it will land the contract, probably not. There is no way to put your best effort forward if you think in the back of your mind, you will not succeed anyway. So you might also act as if you expect to get whatever you want. You will be pleasantly surprised to do it! You see, when you really expect to get what what you’re looking for, others see you. • Know what you want. Sounds simple, right? But surprisingly, there are many times when we go to a negotiating session saying: “Let’s see what we offer.” Why let the other person decides what is going to get? Nobody knows your business or your life as you do. Being able to offer concrete proposals state force. • Stay focused on the real issues. Decide what you want to leave at all, is all that extra would be nice to go out with him, and what you can do if you need to give up without reaching agreement. Why do you need to determine these things in advance? Because in the heat of battle “will not be able to focus on these issues so easily, and may be very surprised by what did not and what a gift. • Prepare. Do you homework, in-depth investigation of the person or company with which he is treated. Is an innovative company or a real? Is the person with whom negotiations are known to be creative or to be more traditional? With all the information available on the Internet today, there is virtually nothing that we can not know beforehand. We are investigating whether a company or person. Someone just Google-ing is likely to bring something you did not know. And, of course, is the old-fashioned way: just ask. Ask colleagues in the industry (not competing) or acquaintances. Should be no surprise that many people talk about who and what and how much you know! • Make time your ally. Try to meet his counterpart from the deadline without being endorsed. Why? Because if I know its time to solve a problem or reach an agreement, I can stall any decision until I know I have to make a decision. Most of the conduct and action settlement granting someone occurred near the deadline, that is not theirs. These are just some of the many ways to learn about the negotiation process. Practice negotiation skills will take time and effort? Of course. But more and more efficient, smarter negotiator will bring many benefits in both their professional and personal lives. |
