Free Tips on Career Advancement

The last article dealt with points one to four.  These were:

1. Adopt the philosophy of behavioural flexibility

2. Visualise  your desired end result

3. Be well prepared

4. Never accept the first offer

Now, we’ll look at the final four in your developing negotiation prowess.

5. Be the Questioner not the Respondent

As a rule, people talk too much.  They prefer to talk rather than listen.  Even worse, is that they prefer to give their point of view as though their word were law.

Talking by asking questions however, is entirely different.  That is a very constructive use of your vocal chords.

It is more important to know what the other person thinks, which direction they are planning to go, what their agenda is.  Find out what the other party wants.

Concede only after you have asked for time to consider, this will deter them from asking too many concessions which would hold up the proceedings.

In other words, you also need to be a good listener.  There is a delightful saying, “We were given two ears and only one mouth for a reason.”

6. Break each step in the negotiation process into small, measurable goal points

It is extremely important to have short-term, measurable milestones so that you have a point of achieved agreement when a snag in the negotiation process surfaces.  You can then go back to when you were in agreement and then, work forward again from that point.  If no milestones occur, you may need to go too far back, or even go back to the beginning. This is when tension will mount and rational discourse will not eventuate.

7. Believe that you can achieve what you desire

Aim high. Believe that you will succeed. You will enter discussions with the attitude of a winner rather than that of a prospector.
What you aspire to will be the determinant of the end result.  You have two options, to aim low or to aim high.  Which will serve you best?  To aim high, of course!

8. Always be sincere and ‘above board’

An atmosphere of trust reduces the amount of time required to create win-win outcomes.

You should always come from a position of wanting a win-win outcome.  That is the only way that the outcome can be guaranteed to be auctioned for the long-term.

If anyone feels that the final outcome leaves them at even the slightest disadvantage, or they feel they were coerced into accepting it, the terms of the outcome will not stick.

Be honest, fair, and come from a position of integrity. This will ensure that each person will feel that they have been listened to and that their needs have been met.

Avoid abrasiveness, sarcasm, belittling and combatitive behaviour as such behavior will only result in a breakdown in negotiations.

Negotiating, like any skill, is learnt through practising in non-threatening environments.  Daily, you negotiate in family situations, utilise the above skills, and see what works best.

At work, ask to participate in negotiation scenarios where you can get feedback to hone your skills, and then ask for increasingly difficult situations to lift your game.  Once you feel comfortable with all above eight points, you will develop other methods of your own as these are outlines of introductory ways to start developing your negotiation prowess.

Have fun, everything is always easier when you enjoy it.