When negotiating, how do you attempt to improve your mindset to win more negotiations? To the degree you’re willing to settle for less in a negotiation, you’re saying, you want less. There’s nothing implicitly right or wrong with that mindset, but it speaks to the mindset you possess at such times. Thus, that’s a reflection of how you see yourself in the current negotiation.
The following gives insights per how to improve your mindset and win more negotiations. In so doing you’ll also enhance your self-perception at the negotiation table and in life.
Why we adopt certain perspectives of ourselves:
We adopt certain perspectives about ourselves because we’re not sure how our views fit into the norms of the situation we’re in. Thus, we may choose not to become too engaged in a demand for fear of how such might make us look.
Be aware of why you see yourself in a certain manner and identify fears, societal constraints, and anything else that might sway your actions that don’t serve you. Do this prior to entering into the negotiation; it’s best done in the planning stage of the negotiation.
In assessing the source of your potential angst determine to what degree it’s real. Be it someone else’s perspective of you or whatever, you don’t have to make it yours if it doesn’t serve you.
Social proof cites, we do what we engage in based on the norms of our environment. In some cases, you may be using your perception of such norms to hold your mental thought process and actions in check. Again, if such doesn’t serve you, view yourself in a manner that serves you better.
Improve your mindset when negotiating:
As stated above, be prepared for the negotiation. That means having firm plans in place to account for how you’ll respond if certain situations occur. By being prepared for such occurrences, you’ll mentally enhance your mind, while enhancing your self-perception.
Raise your level of awareness per how engaged you are with goals you set for the negotiation. If you allow yourself to be pulled off mark, the goal was not as important as you thought. That may be OK, if you deliberately did so to enhance the flow and/or outcome of the negotiation. In either case, don’t project weakness while doing so.
Be aware of what you’re not aware of. OK, that may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s not. What it means is, be aware of what you don’t know and how such might impact the negotiation (i.e. not sure of the opposing negotiator’s best offer so you establish a range). Again, being prepared will enhance the perspective you have of yourself. By doing so, you can also be aware as to why you may be more apt to follow someone’s lead. When we’re unsure of what to do, we look at social proof (i.e. what others are doing in such situations) and adopt such actions as a source of guidance. That’s called, ‘the herd mentality’. If it doesn’t serve you, don’t do it.
As you’re already aware, the mindset we possess in any situation causes us to act one way versus another. Be mindful of what may cause you dread before you enter into any environment. Address it and assess to what degree such may be real or imagined. Keep your head in the negotiation, raise your level of awareness such that you know why you do what you do … and everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!