Powerful Negotiation Tips From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach

Each day we face some opportunity for negotiation. Let’s face it, negotiation is a part of our every day life and dare I say that almost everything is negotiable? So being able to acquire powerful negotiation skills so you can negotiate effectively and successfully can make a big difference in your outcomes. The use of strategic thinking is a natural fit in negotiations and is critical to successful outcomes.

One of the first things you must realize to become a powerful negotiator is that
negotiation is a skill and that this skill must be mastered in order to get almost any deal you want with less effort than you could imagine. To help you acquire the skills of a powerful negotiator, here are twelve (12) powerful negotiation tips from your strategic thinking business coach.

+ Clearly define and focus on what you want and be willing to negotiate. You must be willing to “talk money” when it comes time to doing a deal. Don’t be shy about trying to turn something that may not immediately appear to be a negotiable item into being one.

+ Park your emotions outside from where the negotiations take place. It is critically important to keep calm, focused, patient, professional and friendly at all times, including those times when the other person loses his or her cool.

+ Make the other person be the first person to name a figure. It is important to get the other person to say a number first. For example, if someone asks your hourly rate, respond by asking him or her what is the budget?

+ Ask for more than you expect to receive. Without being arrogant or aggressive, you can say to the other person that you think they will have to do better than the offer they made to you.

+ Act less interested than what you really are. It is important to convey the impression that you are willing to walk away from a deal. You can portray a reluctant buyer or seller and his can do amazing things for getting a better deal.

+ Know whether you are in a “buyers” or “sellers” market and plan your strategies accordingly.

+ Know that you have the ability to question the “rules” the other person may try to use on you when signing a contract. Remember that you are the one signing the contract and have the right to make any changes you want before signing it and then let them know that if they are not happy with the changes, then something can be worked out.

+ Strive to end the negotiations with both parties feeling satisfied with the outcome. Be willing to give up things that don’t really matte to you in order to create goodwill.

+ Let the other person know you have options. The fact is that the side that has the most options has the most power. Work to let the other party know that you have options.
+ Learn to read and use body language in your negotiations to know what they are thinking and to send them a message you want them to as reinforcement to what you have said.

+ Reserve your option to go to higher authority. Tell the other party that you have a higher authority that has to approve the deal, without telling them that you can make a decision in the negotiation. And make the higher authority some vague entity such as a committee or board of directors.

+ Strive to make the other party offer to “split the difference” in negotiations. This way you can possibly get them to split the difference again or if they will not, then reluctantly agree and give them the perception that they won.

If you want to learn more about this strategic thinking approach to negotiations and the benefits that can come to you and your company, please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his website at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com