How to negotiate correctly: rules and common mistakes

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The ability to negotiate and find a compromise solution even in the most difficult situation is a unique skill. This skill is essential in running a business. How to negotiate correctly? How can you use this skill to help you succeed? This will be discussed in this article.

Types of negotiation

Let's take a closer look at this. It is conditionally possible to divide all negotiations into two types:

1. Competitive: The goal pursued by the participants during such conversations is to achieve victory at any cost. Such a business meeting often results in a conflict situation between the parties.
2. Partnership: the goal is to reach a mutual agreement that satisfies the interests of all participants in the process.

There is no exact advice on how to negotiate properly. Everyone chooses their own method. In practice, most often you can find a combination of competitive and partner forms of business conversation.

Competitive negotiations are characterized by a tense atmosphere. The task of each of the parties is to obtain their own benefit, without taking into account the interests of the opposite side. In order to achieve a positive result in such a situation, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Try not to fully reveal the essence of your proposal at the beginning of the meeting. Otherwise, the opposite side will immediately receive the maximum set of information. You also need to make sure that the topic of the conversation does not change.
2. If you have to make concessions, try to make it as small as possible.
3. If conflict develops, keep your dignity. The basic rules of business communication must be observed. In order to defuse the situation, try moving the conversation to another topic.

Preparatory stage

In order to understand how to properly negotiate cooperation, you need to know about the main features of this process.

At the initial stage, the collection and provision of the most complete information takes place. As a result, both parties can reach profitable solutions. When conducting partnership negotiations, one should initially be ready to make concessions.

First, establish what goals you want to achieve in these conversations. They must be measurable and achievable. You must clearly understand what you want to get from your opponent. Before the meeting, it is worth exploring the needs of the other party. Based on the information received, you can formulate your proposals. They should be as realistic as possible. If boththe parties will be ready to make some concessions, it will become much easier to achieve a result. But if one of the negotiators begins to conduct a conversation in the form of competitive negotiations, then the development of a conflict situation is more likely. The main task of the negotiator in this case is to improve relations.

After each side has formed its opinion about the opponent, you can begin to put forward specific proposals. If you decide to make concessions, you need to not only offer something, but also get a return. The completed exchange must be of equal value.

Compromising

When the exchange of basic information is done, you can go directly to the heart of the matter. It should be borne in mind that the more you ask during negotiations, the more you will receive, the less you offer, the less you will lose. When putting forward your proposal, try to be as precise as possible in the wording. Avoid rough estimates. Your opponent may interpret the ambiguity against you.

Similarly, it is worth negotiating with the opposite party when an offer comes from them. You must have a clear idea of what they offer. Feel free to ask questions. They will help you understand if the proposed option suits your goals.

Sign language

How to conduct business negotiations? If the meeting is informal, try to use open postures and maintain eye contact with your interlocutor. Sitting with legs crossed and arms crossednot worth it.

Think about your pre-negotiation speech. You should not use words and expressions that can annoy your opponents. Also, try to refrain from making sarcastic remarks that are derogatory to the opposing negotiator. If the conversation starts to take a different direction, try to get the attention of the people present at the meeting. You can ask them to voice their position. In some cases, this technique helps to achieve a compromise.

Active listening

Many aspiring entrepreneurs are interested in how to negotiate with a client correctly. In this case, the tactic of "active listening" helps a lot. It allows you to avoid unpleasant situations or painful reactions from the opposite side. The tactic of "active listening" improves communication skills. If you often have to negotiate, it will be very useful.

It is important to follow these guidelines:

1. Listen carefully to the interlocutor. You can think over your answer later.
2. Reinforce your interest with gestures, such as nodding your head to let your opponent know you can hear them.
3. Demonstrate the perception of information. To do this, you can voice the essence of what was said.
4. Try to get into the position of the interlocutor. Try to put yourself in his place and see the situation through his eyes.
5. Ask the interlocutor questions, clarify information.
6. Pauses in conversation should not scare you. A break of 2-3 minutes will give you the opportunity to gather withthoughts and move on to the next question. If you need a longer break, take it. In some cases, 10-15 minutes can save the situation. This is especially true of meetings held in difficult psychological conditions. Taking a break will help you regain balance and stocks of moral energy. In addition, it will provide an opportunity to assess the situation from the outside.

How do you know during a meeting that you and your opponent come to an agreement? Watch for verbal cues from the other side. It can be the words "perhaps" or "maybe". In most cases, this is a sign that an agreement will soon be reached.

Telephone calls

There are situations when a personal meeting is impossible for a number of reasons. Then the problem has to be solved remotely. How to conduct negotiations on the phone in order to achieve the desired result? Large-scale deals are usually not concluded over the phone. But it is quite possible to reach a preliminary agreement in this way.

When conducting telephone conversations, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

1. It is recommended to thoroughly prepare for the dialogue and make a memo. Lack of eye contact in this case is an advantage, since you do not have to be shy about cheat sheets.
2. Immediately indicate the purpose of your call. If during a personal visit there may be several of them, then in a telephone conversation the goal is usually one.
3. It is not necessary to immediately ask to invite a director or a person responsible for a certainemployee question. You can use a workaround. Just ask with whom it is realistic to discuss this task, and the secretary will switch you to the right person.
4. Determinants of the needs of your interlocutor. Feel free to ask clarifying questions about plans and interests. Interest can be increased with just a couple of sentences.
5. Give a short presentation of your proposal. Try to keep it within a few minutes.
6. Work out the answer to the objections of the interlocutor. If they relate in general to the proposed product or service, explain how your proposal solves a particular problem.
7. End the call. If the conversation went well, then at this stage, you should agree on the next action. For example, about a meeting to discuss the details.

Business negotiations

Every entrepreneur needs to know the basics of dialogue. A competent businessman must know how to properly negotiate with suppliers. Without the ability to find a common language with partners, one cannot become a business leader. The basis of any contact is personal communication. No phone calls or emails can replace it. When negotiating, it is better to be confident and at ease. You should not flirt and be overly nice with a business partner. Always remember the purpose of the meeting. A business conversation does not tolerate innuendo: try to formulate your thoughts specifically and intelligibly. At the same time, listen carefully to counter-proposals. Ability to carry on a conversationdemonstrate your experience and knowledge.

Dialogue with the customer

This is a special type of business conversation. How to properly negotiate with the customer so that your cooperation becomes mutually beneficial? Be sure to ask the client's needs. If you raise topics that are irrelevant to him, the customer will quickly lose interest in the conversation. Ask your interlocutor questions. This will emphasize your involvement in the business process. It is also recommended to focus on your experience in a particular area. You can give examples of orders already completed.

Conversations with terrorists

For residents of large cities, terrorism has become one of the main phobias. Often terrorist attacks are accompanied by the taking of hostages. Much depends on how you behave in such a situation. How to properly negotiate with terrorists? The main advice that experts give is to try to be calm. Fulfill all the requirements of the invaders.

In a crisis situation, there is often such a phenomenon as the Stockholm syndrome. This term refers to the emergence of sympathy in victims towards terrorists. The general tension in the current situation makes people become closer. After all, terrorists also value their own lives. Keep this in mind, but continue to express willingness to submit. Don't try to bargain. After all, you do not know thoroughly all the motives of the criminals. Only intelligence officers know how to properly conduct operational negotiations. Examples of such situations show that only with the implementation of the basic recommendations of psychologistsyou can count on a successful resolution of the problem.

Helpful tips

There are a few simple guidelines for effective negotiation.

The main ones:

1. Don't say yes after the first sentence. If you hurry with the answer, the interlocutor may experience a negative reaction.
2. Ask for more than you hope to receive. Many psychologists, when talking about how to properly negotiate cooperation, suggest using this technique. It increases your chances of making a profit and allows you to build a space for business conversation.
3. Show willingness to change your terms if necessary. Consider all sides of the issue under discussion, but do not rush to make concessions. Try to take into account the interests of the interlocutor and analyze them.

Conclusion

In this review, we looked at how to properly negotiate. These tips and tricks will help you get the most out of your conversation in a variety of situations.