“To increase value’s perception, become a better negotiator.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (click to Tweet)
“What Hidden Value Is There In Being A Better Negotiator”
People do not realize they are always negotiating.
My negotiation skills are not bad. I know I could become a better negotiator. But I do not see the hidden value in being a better negotiator. Is there one?
That was part of a conversation one friend had with another. The friend had asked about the importance of enhancing his negotiation skills and whether there were benefits to becoming a better negotiator.
Do you know the value of becoming a better negotiator? Do you know what you need to do to become one? Continue, and you will receive information that will help you negotiate better in every aspect of your life. And, you will also uncover information about why you need to become a better negotiator. You will also discover how to use your enhanced skills to enrich all aspects of your life.
Why is having good negotiation skills necessary?
You are involved in negotiations every day of your life – and several times during the day. Some people sadly do not recognize that fact.
When ordering food at a restaurant, when speaking with business colleagues, and when you interact with friends and loved ones, you are negotiating. And the way you interact with people in those settings determines the response you receive from them. And it regulates how your future interactions will occur.
So, with that heightened sense of awareness, I will cite an example.
You would like a work colleague to sit in a meeting because she has skills that would be valuable to attendees. And you would like to impress your boss, who will also be in attendance. But, a few months ago, your associate asked you to sit in on a meeting she was hosting, and you said no. You also stated that you were too busy to do so. Did you realize that you were negotiating with her at that time?
Depending on how she feels about the brush-off you gave her when she asked you to attend her meeting, now, she’s in a position to get even. She might state that she is too busy to participate in your meeting. If she did, are you even, since both of you have denied the request of the other? It depends because you are still negotiating for future considerations.
And that is why you must become more aware of your interactions with people. One interaction begets another. And if not with that individual, it may carry to someone that they know. And their influence upon that individual will cast the perspective that person has of you before an encounter.
How To Become A Better Negotiator
Okay. Raising your sense of awareness is the first step to becoming a better negotiator. Things occur every day in your life of which you are not aware. So, once you have raised your sense of awareness, what is next? The answer is, you must increase your negotiation skills. To do that:
1. Observe how you interact with different people and how you feel depending on your environment and circumstances.
The environments you are in alters your mind’s emotional state throughout the day. That influences how you engage people, which changes the way you negotiate with them. Thus, even with people you constantly interact with, you alter those encounters based on how you feel. And that is an important fact to consider when negotiating.
2. Where and when possible, become open to helping people who may impact your future.
It would be best if you did that regardless of their relationship to your status or station in life. Everything changes over time. And those with power will one day become powerless. Position yourself to be the beneficiary of both ends of that spectrum. And that is not to sound selfish. It is a fact of how to rise on the latter of success.
3. When negotiating, be respectful of other’s opinions.
Before you can alter someone’s perspective, you must know what it is. And the way to do that is to understand a person’s point of view and how they came to acquire it.
4. The one trick to becoming a better negotiator is to realize that your negotiations should not be considered tricks.
Negotiations are processes that parties engage in to acquire mutually beneficial outcomes. And to become a better negotiator, you must be mindful of granting the other negotiator what he wants from the negotiation. That is to the degree that it is not a hardship for you.
5. Develop your negotiation skills by knowing:
a.) when to exit a negotiation
b.) when to make concessions
c.) how to increase or slow down the pace of a negotiation
d.) how to make sure an agreed-upon outcome stays together
While there are many more variables to becoming a better negotiator, all of those mentioned are performance enhancers to increase your negotiation skills.
6. Learn to read people’s body language.
More than likely, you read the body language of others every day. Sometimes you are right about what you sense, and sometimes you are wrong. By becoming more proficient in interpreting someone’s gestures and nonverbal communication, you will gain greater meaning into what they meant. And that will enhance what they said, which will lead you to become a better negotiator.
Reflection
For the rest of your life, you will have an infinite number of interactions with people. And in every situation, you will be negotiating with them. The way you do so will determine the degree of success that you have in your life. Thus, to have tremendous success, you must become a better negotiator. That is the one common factor that successful people share.
Once you commit to becoming a better negotiator, by enhancing your negotiation skills and reading body language, you too will be on a more fantastic path of success. And everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!
Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://c-suitenetwork.com/radio/shows/greg-williams-the-master-negotiator-and-body-language-expert-podcast/
After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight,” click here https://themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/blog