Whether the deal is with staff members, superiors, peers, or customers, if there are some rules, beyond WIIFM, they are these.
- Remain unemotional. Stay calm, cool, and collected at all times. Don’t let the give and take of the discussion cause you to overreact.
- Be sincere. If you are horse trading, the other person needs to know that you can be trusted to keep your word.
- Be self-confident. Old-time horse traders did their homework before negotiations to exude self-confidence.
- Be flexible. You have to be willing to change your negotiating plan if you want a change in the other person as well.
- Be congenial. The best horse traders keep the atmosphere friendly and nonadversarial. The point they want to make is, “By giving me what I need, you will get what you want in turn. How about it?”
How Do You Rate?
- How do you stand in terms of your negotiating skills? Here are ten statements. Which reflect your approach to negotiating with others?
- I research the other party before I enter into negotiations.
- I am clear about my goals when I negotiate with others either inside or outside my organization.
- I have a flexible attitude toward negotiations.
- I believe that both sides can leave a negotiation session feeling satisfied.
- I am polite at all times.
- I communicate my points logically and clearly.
- I can be objective and put myself in the position of the other party.
- I avoid making the opening offer.
- I show emotion only as part of a tactical gesture.
- I periodically pause to summarize the progress that has been made.