1.Know when to negotiate and when to walk away



Sometimes people walk away too soon because they do not realize that they are still in a negotiation. An example of this is a person who makes an offer to buy a house and the owner rejects their offer. Just because the owner says no it doesn't mean that the matter has ended. Saying no to your offer is quite likely to be the start of a negotiation on price.

On the other hand some people keep negotiating when the show is over. They haven't learned the difference between the "no" that means "I'm open to further offers" and the "no" that means "I'm no longer interested" and so they don't walk away when they should.

Walking away can also be used as a ploy during a negotiation. This can be very effective provide that you are more willing to walk away from the negotiation than the other party is.

2.Negotiate for outcome not ego

A skilled negotiator has learned how to manipulate the emotional state of the other party. If you find yourself negotiating on a point of ego this is usually a sign that you are losing.

3.Negotiate issues not personalities

Often time the person you are negotiating with can be annoying, frustrating or even downright rude. This may be a ploy on their part or it may be their genuine personality. Either way it is a distraction that you can't afford to fall into. Keep your focus on the issues at hand and leave their personality out of it.

4.Know, at all times, what is relevant and what is irrelevant

Know and remember what is important to you. This will help you get what you want and it will also guide you as to what concessions you can make. Of course it is often a part of negotiating strategy to have the other person believing that your important issues are the irrelevant ones and your irrelevant issues are the important ones.

Try to gauge what is actually important to the other party and what is not. Knowing the true value of their issues gives you leveraging power.

5.Talk in terms of benefits rather than features

Often the other person will try to dazzle you with features that, at the end of the day, have no true benefit to you. Keeping your mind focused on your benefits will help you from being distracted by such ploys.

Knowing what the real benefits are for the other person helps you promote your desired outcome with more power.

6.Ask questions rather than make statements

The person asking the question is the person who is leading the direction of the conversation.

However, when you make a statement it can leave you open to criticism.

Rather than saying "Our software program will really enhance your bottom line profits" which opens you to be challenged, you could ask "would you be interested in a software solution that will enhance your bottom line profits?"

Notice that the question implies the same thing as the statement but with less temptation to challenge it. Also you will most likely get the simple response of "yes" to the question. This "yes" subconsciously accepts the implied message.

In the second article in this series I will explain basic principles 7 to 12. Together with these first six principles they provide a good foundation on which to build negotiation skills.