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10 Steps to Mastering Any Negotiation

Arnold Sanow – www.arnoldsanow.com

More negotiations break down because of animosity between parties or objections about the situation, rather than differences over issues. Based on the book, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere … 8 keys to creating enduring connections with customers, co-workers … even kids” by Arnold Sanow and Sandra Strauss here are some tips that will help cultivate a positive environment for reaching agreements to keep negotiations on a productive and hopefully civil level.

1. Help people define how people see the situation. Show them what’s in it for them and the value they’ll receive from your proposed solution.
2. Demonstrate your desire to find acceptable solutions and that your intentions are honorable.
3. Set the stage for success. Establish your interest up front for productive negotiations. Demonstrating goodwill minimizes defensiveness: “I know we’ll be able to reach a workable solution.” This creates a more relaxed atmosphere, puts people at ease, and minimizes stressful interactions
4. Anticipate objections in advance, if possible, and formulate options
5. Reflect shared values and areas of common interest. Use language that reflects their values and what’s important to them.
6. If some change will be required, make it easier for them to accept by showing how the modifications will extend or expand their personal interests or self – image.
7. Highlight undesirable outcomes or alternatives as a contrast to more viable options: “We could choose to do it that way, but then you wouldn’t be able to …
8. Focus on mutual interests, not fixed positions. Stay flexible, focusing on reaching mutually acceptable agreements about what’s really at stake. For instance, is it about taking a particular training course at a busy time of year, or gaining important skills at a more convenient time? Is it about negotiating for an increased budget for your department, or about doing your best job for the company?
9. If there’s any confusion about which option to choose, offer two choices to help generate a decision
10. If an impasse is reached, restate your interests in a different way. Know in advance about your “walk-away” options — your bottom line

When you know what you want and learn more about what others want, work towards win-win solutions. Negotiate for what you want and be fair and reasonable with others too.

Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP is a speaker, seminar leader, facilitator and author of 5 books to include, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere … 8 keys to creating enduring connections with customers, co-workers … even kids”. He can be reached at speaker@arnoldsanow.com ; www.arnoldsanow.com or 703-255-3133

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Posted on April 26th, 2008 by Scott Hammond
Filed under: Relationship Development, Sales