“Like items drawn to a magnet, increasing your negotiation skills attracts opportunities.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
“7 Quick Ways To Immediately
Increase Your Negotiation Skills Now”
People don’t realize they’re always negotiating!
Would you like to increase your negotiation skills and have better outcomes with those you engage? The answer should be yes! To become more successful, you must become adept at deal-making and conflict resolution to succeed in any aspect of your life.
In this article, I share some game-changing insights that will elevate your negotiation skills to greater heights and give you the knowledge to do just that. So, please continue to partake in my top seven quick ways to immediately increase your negotiation skills!
1. Planning, Planning, Planning
Before negotiating, you must plan for what you want and what might occur to prevent you from achieving your desires. And the more important the outcome, the more planning you should engage in.
During your planning phase, consider as many ‘what-if’ scenarios as you can conjure up that might influence the flow and outcome of the negotiation. Create as many rebuttals as feasible to counteract potential adverse effects. You are striving to achieve a plan that will get you back on course should you be taken off of it during the negotiation while maintaining its control and flow.
2. Presenting Offers
You must know how and when to present offers to increase your negotiation skills. As for when to submit your top offers, do so when you are in a strong negotiation position (e.g., the other person really wants your offering).
As to how to present offers, speak the language most appropriate to the person you are negotiating with. For example, with some people, stating that you will give them 10% off of $100 will appeal to them more than saying you will give them $10 off of $100.
Both offerings are the same. Still, one may appeal more than the other. To enhance your negotiation skills, consider that when presenting your offers.
3. Anchoring Offers
In considering how and when to make offers, you should also consider who will make the first one. The first offer tends to anchor what proceeds after that. Thus, it has an impact on the ones that follow.
Some negotiators state that you should always make the first offer. My perspective is it depends on who is the most skilled negotiator among the negotiators.
To highlight the point, if you possess better negotiation skills than the person you are negotiating with, and they make the first offer, you know their position. And based on your skills, you can maneuver that person to a point better suited for your outcome.
Consider your advantage and negotiation skills when determining who will make the first offer. Doing so will enhance your negotiation skills and outcomes.
4. The Takeaway
Your persona and negotiation position can become enhanced when you have made an offer and take it off the table if conditions change. If it is an offer that the other party wants, but they were playing coy to see what else they might get, they will reveal the importance of your proposition.
They will display that by the eagerness they engage to acquire it. The takeaway is a powerful negotiation strategy. Use it to enhance your negotiation skills.
5. The Flinch
The flinch is a negotiation skill enhancer because it can help you reposition yourself while projecting the impression that you are shocked by an offer or something someone said. You would use it as if feigning surprise – say what!
You should also time its usage when the other party believes the two of you are close to an agreement or to give the impression that you are drifting further apart. In any case, to enhance your negotiation skills, use it.
6. Body Language
As with any body language gesture, you can convey additional meaning by the body language signals you send when you make offers and counteroffers. For example, with the flinch strategy, you could quickly move your head to one side as though you were attempting to dodge something thrown at you while saying, is that really the offer you are making? The head movement heightens your words.
Body language can also belie someone’s sincerity when you observe their gestures are opposite of their words (e.g., someone saying that is their best offer while covering their mouth). While that may be their best offer, their hand covering their mouth may suggest they are attempting to shield the words their speaking. In such a case, you should test their statement before accepting it as fact.
Also, remember one gesture does not necessarily disclose someone’s inner thoughts. Observe a cluster of their actions to determine that more accurately.
7. Using/Asking Questions
The answer you seek lies in the question you ask, but only if you ask the right question at the right time. And you can get more insightful answers by asking better questions right.
For instance, if you ask someone at the beginning of negotiations, is that the best you can do? They may respond by saying yes. But if you paraphrased the question later in the interaction by saying, how much better can you do? The process may have worn them down. Plus, in that state, they might respond with, how much better would you like me to do – conceding that they have to do better. Always time your questions to gain the most significant benefit for your efforts.
Reflection
There are many ways to increase your negotiation skills. Now you have an additional seven ways to do so. Thus, if you want to become a better negotiator with more outstanding outcomes, you will use the insights about increasing your negotiation skills that I have presented. And everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!
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After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
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