“Negotiation is more than getting what you want. It’s the magical process of finding solutions for everyone involved.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
“6 Magic Negotiation Strategies To Remember Now
How To Negotiate More Massive Wins”
People don’t realize they’re always negotiating.
… Then, danger started strangling hope, and the negotiation stumbled toward an impasse. On one side, the negotiators thought, we are using the wrong negotiation strategies; now what?
The opposition thought, what games are they playing? They do not appear to be using any viable negotiation strategies. We better start playing hardball with these guys to show they cannot push us around. From there, confusion reigned, and the teams found themselves untrusting of the other.
When was the last time you were negotiating and realized you used the wrong negotiation strategies?
The following are six negotiation strategies, with examples, that you can use to obtain more massive negotiation outcomes and wins.
1. Negotiation Planning
A good negotiation plan should encompass the following:
a.) Identify the personality type of the negotiator with whom you will be negotiating. Having that insight will allow you to determine the strategies you will use.
b.) Pinpoint your counterpart’s interests and priorities, along with stakeholders not at the negotiation table.
c.) Determine the negotiation strategies you will employ to progress the talks. Consider the plans the opposition might engage and the concessions you and they might make if the negotiation nears an impasse.
d.) Once created, do a premortem of your plans. That would entail role-playing your scenarios to uncover flaws, correcting them, and repeating the process. Do that until you believe your plan is airtight.
2. Listen Intently
During negotiations, the opposition will disclose what they want. They may not come out and do so via direct words, but they will offer it in their communication.
To highlight the point, if you made an offer and the opposing negotiator responded with, how would that work, that might suggest an interest in the proposition. You might also gain clues to their interest in how they asked the question – excitedly, deliberatively, or neutrally. Thus, it pays to listen intently.
3. Ask Better Questions
The questions you ask, their timing, and how you pose them will determine your degree of negotiation success. To ask better questions, use open-ended ones to gather more insights. Use closed-end questions when seeking specific understandings. For example, you might ask, ‘Please help me understand why that concession is important to you,’ as an open-ended question, and ‘Tell me more about that point’ to gain specificity as a closed-end question.
To make your questions more magical, develop a range of responses that the opposition might ask, along with responses from those you pose. Asking better questions and having responses to rebuttals will help you progress the negotiation more favorably than being unprepared to do so.
4. Using Risk Reversal
When negotiating parties are unsure of potential benefits, they may become cautious about making commitments. To overcome their doubt, use risk reversal. Risk reversal entails shifting the potential risk of a less-than-expected outcome from one party to another.
One way to use risk reversal is to offer guarantees. A negotiator can also use them with an ‘if’ statement to uncover objectives. For example – if I assumed ‘x’ (taking the risk of the point at hand), can we come to an agreement – if the opponent said no, you could ask why not. The response will give you more insight into possible sticking points.
5. Consider The Process
In addition to what I have stated, consider how you and the other negotiator will engage each other throughout the negotiation. What you are aiming to assess are the hidden variables and nuances that will dictate the negotiation’s flow. You might consider:
a.) if the negotiation is progressing too fast or slow, how will you alter its pace
b.) what impact will the negotiation environment have on the process
c.) who or what might someone inject into the negotiation that would change its dynamics
d.) what mile-markers will you use to determine where you are in the negotiation versus where you thought you would be
e.) how you will exit the negotiation or call a time out to correct a disadvantaged position
Never overlook the value contained in a negotiation process. Therein may lie the difference between a winning outcome and a less stellar one.
6. Identify Points Of Interest
In negotiations, good negotiators focus on the points of interest of all parties, not the opposition’s position. The reason, negotiators may dig in their heels when addressing their position; they are less likely to do so when discussing their interests. Consider the following when addressing a negotiator’s interest.
a.) Seek to understand the opposition by considering the options you offer from their point of view.
b.) Consider how your opposite will perceive offers/counteroffers and the reactions that might occur.
c.) Maintain a demeanor appropriate for the implementation of your negotiation plans. And take into account the consequences of your actions.
d.) Consider the order in which you will make offers/counteroffers. The order of discussion will help to identify the opposition’s interest.
Negotiators can become stuck during negotiations if they focus on just one issue – distributive negotiation. But when they engage in integrative bargaining, focusing on multiple issues, both sides can benefit while avoiding potential pitfalls. The reason, genuine interest tends to surface. And that can help all parties.
Reflection
Negotiations are essential for people to acquire what they seek. Using the negotiation strategies mentioned will allow you to negotiate as if by magic.
By thoroughly planning and using good negotiation strategies, listening intently, asking better questions, using the advantages that risk reversal can offer, being mindful of the negotiation process, and identifying points of interest, you can turn an otherwise challenging negotiation into a magical one. 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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