A Few Hints for Better Business Negotiation

One of the most vital and virile aspects of our lives is that we WANT!

Business Negotiation: What do you want?

Obviously negotiation isn’t exclusive to the world of business. We WANT this and that and that and this almost every day of our lives. We negotiate at home, at play….everywhere. However, negotiation does play an essential part of a successful business and (this may come as a surprise) negotiation is based on the principle of “getting” AND “giving.” In other words, when it comes to business negotiation, you can’t “get, get, get” without “giving, giving, giving.” The art of business negotiation then is not to “get and “win” but to determine what needs to be given and what needs to be “gotten” in order to determine the best possible outcome for both parties involved in a business negotiation. In other words, you don’t have to think of business negotiation as learning how to get more. Think of business negotiation as learning how to make you AND your “competitors” happy.

Business Negotiation Step #1: Self-Assessment, a Superior Form of Preparation

The first step of good negotiation, (not to mention good writing and good communication) is to understand the interests and wants of your opponent or audience. Let’s say for instance that you want your corporate headquarters to hire an in-house employee as your division manager but your “opponent” wants to see someone from corporate headquarters installed in that position. Now of course you can see and hopefully defend your own point of view. After all, you probably know valuable information about the person that you would like to see hired and the benefits that she could provide. You are ready to fight for you own opinion but for as long as it takes you also need to be willing to fight for your opponent’s point of view (as a mental exercise of course).

Now. Take a step back, determine that your “opponent” is a good person who wants to see the success of the company just as much as you do, and then determine the pros and cons of his plan. You might realize that a new manager in your division may have the ability to determine new processes and new attitudes that when applied correctly could have positive benefits on the overall success of the company. You might realize that that your candidate is a little too familiar—even friendly--with the employees of your division and that a new candidate could be the means of inspiring more discipline into your division. You might also find that your opponent does NOT have solid reasoning to support his argument. Even if this is true, try to find those reasons on your own.

Business Negotiation Step #3: Let Your Opponent Win Too

Negotiation is not about making other people suffer. Negotiation is about getting what you want and helping someone else get what she wants. It can be tough, but remember that in order to get what you want and maintain relationships that are valuable or that could prove to be valuable you have to help the other guy or gal win. Take a step back before you enter a business negotiation, determine what it is that your opponent wants and various ways that you can help him or her get it. You will have to improvise (and so will she) but if you are truly interested in your opponent’s interests you will find that negotiation can indeed prove to be a much more satisfying experience than say---a bare fist boxing match.

Business Negotiation Step #3: Fight for Your Interests and NOT for Your Emotions

Have you ever noticed that interests often become our Achilles heal, our weak spots, our tragic downfalls? Why? Because our interests, when threatened, are very good at triggering our emotions, which also happen to be good at getting us to act in ways that we would prefer not to admit later on. When you enter a negotiation and you are prepared, remember to stay focused on your interests and on the interests of your opponent. Don’t let emotions carry you away to the land of imaginary “action without responsibility.”

To summarize, remember to prepare for a business negotiation by taking a look at your opponent’s point of view, by analyzing your interests and the interests of your opponent and then enter the business negotiation without fussy displays of emotion.

Practice the art of POWERFUL business negotiation.


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Marci Crane is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information on business negotiation strategies, please feel free to learn more about VitalSmarts and its communication training options.

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Source: Article Alley