Work hard for the negotiation

A good negotiator never goes unprepared before his counterpart. Look for as much quality information prior to your negotiation. What are your partner’s key success drivers and expectations from this negotiation? Try to understand the pressures of the other side and their options.

On the other hand, define both the limits and options for negotiation and your exit plan. Be ready to offer alternatives.

If you feel like you need to improve your negotiation skills, you can also enroll to a specialized training. This may came even more obvious when the negotiation is being held in other language (most probably, English) than your native one. In this case, a training of English for commercial communication can prove an excellent preparation tool.

Be assertive

Assertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. Ask for what you want without anxiety or anger. Being assertive in a negotiation means that you let people know what you want in a respectful way. For example, instead of saying, “You shouldn’t ask this type of services,” try using ” At present, we have no facilities to provide you this type of services.”

Open with a high position

Be optimistic about the negotiation results! One strategy that you can apply is to open your negotiation with a high business offer. When you sell, start with an expensive offer and a basic package included and be ready to give up some margin or add new services. On the other hand, if you are a buyer, put ahead very small prices with all the needed services options included, so that you can have negotiation options. Aim high so that you can achieve more!

Focus on the other side’s interest

Show empathy during the negotiation. A successful negotiator looks at the situation from both parties’ perspective. Try to provide to your partner the feeling of understanding his/her needs. If you offer your support, the other is more willing to help you.

However, don’t give in all your demands; instead, listen to what the other part has to say and propose options for each of the identified needs. Most of the negotiators will tell you their expectations if you let them speak.

Although being an effective listener is not so simple as it looks, the good news is that you can follow a non written rule in the sales’ world: listen 70 percent of the time, and talk only 30 percent of the time. Avoid closed questions such as “Do you agree on this proposal?” and use open-ended questions -“What do you think of our proposal?”

Offer and ask for concessions

Use the magic phrase: “I’m ready to provide you this, if you can also give me this”.

Win-win negotiation means that you are giving an alternative to your partner – when you make a concession, the other part should also provide something in exchange.

The more you give in without asking anything in return, the less you will obtain from the negotiation and your position will lower.