How to Make a Successful Negotiation
Ask yourself questions., Be confident, courteous, calm, and curious., Come up with a win-win solution., Aspire for greatness., Think about your alternatives., Map your range., Map their range., Reach an agreement.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ask yourself questions.
What do you want? Why is that important to you? Some negotiators say that to get to the root of the issue, you must ask yourself five different "why" questions.
You don't have to know everything, but you do have to understand what everybody wants and why. -
Step 2: Be confident
Negotiating provoked strong emotions and emotion causes people to be subjective and can cloud a person's judgement.
You have to stay calm at all times and remember to use a positive tone.
Cultivating curiosity allows you to relax the situation, focus on the important issues and keep your emotions stable. , In some negotiations, a gain for one party means an equal loss for the other.
For example, when you go to buy a car, you want the lowest price and the salesman wants the highest.
Another example is a negotiation regarding one's salary, an employer wants to pay as little as possible and you want the opposite.
However, some benefits exist for balancing the salary: add in flextime, telecommuting, vacation, etc.
These benefits are more than zero in a negotiation and both sides can reach an agreement. , Define success before you come to the table.
What do you really want? Generally, people lack confidence when entering a negotiation and they set their aspirations too low.
Think about what you want to achieve before entering negotiations. , Determine your aspiration and work to create a better one (your alternative).
It's important to think about alternatives because the negotiation will not always go as well as you hope.
This point is illustrated with an example: when you go a car shopping you consider two cars, one much nicer than the other.
The nicer car cost much more and you can only afford it if you can negotiate a good price.
Otherwise, you buy the cheaper car.
The expensive car is your aspiration; the cheaper one is your alternative. , Your aspiration and best alternative define the range of possible agreements for you.
If the other person offers something below your best alternative, don't take it. , What does the other person want? What's their best alternative? Let people know that you understand what they want, understand why they want it, and that you think it's a legitimate interest. , Compare their range to yours.
Where do the two overlap? That's where you will find agreement. -
Step 3: courteous
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Step 4: and curious.
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Step 5: Come up with a win-win solution.
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Step 6: Aspire for greatness.
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Step 7: Think about your alternatives.
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Step 8: Map your range.
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Step 9: Map their range.
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Step 10: Reach an agreement.
Detailed Guide
What do you want? Why is that important to you? Some negotiators say that to get to the root of the issue, you must ask yourself five different "why" questions.
You don't have to know everything, but you do have to understand what everybody wants and why.
Negotiating provoked strong emotions and emotion causes people to be subjective and can cloud a person's judgement.
You have to stay calm at all times and remember to use a positive tone.
Cultivating curiosity allows you to relax the situation, focus on the important issues and keep your emotions stable. , In some negotiations, a gain for one party means an equal loss for the other.
For example, when you go to buy a car, you want the lowest price and the salesman wants the highest.
Another example is a negotiation regarding one's salary, an employer wants to pay as little as possible and you want the opposite.
However, some benefits exist for balancing the salary: add in flextime, telecommuting, vacation, etc.
These benefits are more than zero in a negotiation and both sides can reach an agreement. , Define success before you come to the table.
What do you really want? Generally, people lack confidence when entering a negotiation and they set their aspirations too low.
Think about what you want to achieve before entering negotiations. , Determine your aspiration and work to create a better one (your alternative).
It's important to think about alternatives because the negotiation will not always go as well as you hope.
This point is illustrated with an example: when you go a car shopping you consider two cars, one much nicer than the other.
The nicer car cost much more and you can only afford it if you can negotiate a good price.
Otherwise, you buy the cheaper car.
The expensive car is your aspiration; the cheaper one is your alternative. , Your aspiration and best alternative define the range of possible agreements for you.
If the other person offers something below your best alternative, don't take it. , What does the other person want? What's their best alternative? Let people know that you understand what they want, understand why they want it, and that you think it's a legitimate interest. , Compare their range to yours.
Where do the two overlap? That's where you will find agreement.
About the Author
Douglas Adams
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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