How to negotiate properly: rules and common mistakes

The ability to negotiate and find a compromise solution even in the most difficult situations is a unique skill. This skill is extremely important when doing business. How to negotiate? How to make this skill help to succeed? This will be discussed in this article.

Types of Negotiations

Let's dwell on this in more detail. It is conditionally possible to divide all negotiations into two types:

1. Competitive: the goal that the participants pursue during such conversations is to achieve victory at all costs. The result of such a business meeting often becomes a conflict between the parties.
2. Partnership: the goal is to achieve mutual agreement that meets the interests of all participants in the process.

There is no exact advice on how to negotiate properly. Everyone chooses his own method. In practice, most often you can find a combination of competitive and partnership forms of conducting business conversations.

Competitive negotiations are characterized by a tense atmosphere. The task of each of the parties is to obtain their own benefits, without taking into account the interests of the opposite side. In order to achieve a positive result in such a situation, it is necessary to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Try not to fully disclose the essence of your proposal at the beginning of the meeting. Otherwise, the opposite side will immediately receive the maximum set of information. It is also necessary to ensure that the topic of the conversation does not change.
2. If you have to make concessions, try to do this to a minimum.
3. In the event of a conflict, maintain dignity. Observe the basic rules of business communication. In order to defuse the situation, try moving the conversation to another topic.

Preparatory stage

To understand how to negotiate cooperation, you need to know about the main features of this process.

At the initial stage, the collection and provision of the most complete information occurs. As a result, both parties can achieve profitable solutions. When conducting partnership negotiations, one should initially be prepared to make concessions.

To get started, establish what goals you want to achieve during these conversations. They must be commensurate and achievable. You must clearly understand what you want to get from your opponent. Before the meeting, it is worth exploring the needs of the second side. Based on the information received, you can formulate your proposals. They should be as realistic as possible. If both parties are ready to make some concessions, it will be much easier to achieve a result. But if one of the negotiators begins to conduct a conversation in the form of competitive negotiations, then the development of a conflict situation is more likely. The main task of the negotiator in this case is to establish relations.

After each side has its own opinion about the opponent, you can begin to put forward specific proposals. If you decide to make concessions, you need not only to offer something, but also to get a return. Completed exchange must be equivalent.

Compromise

When the exchange of basic information is carried out, you can go directly to the point. Please note that the more you ask during the negotiations, the more you get, the less you offer, the less you lose. When putting forward your proposal, try to be as precise as possible in the wording. Avoid rough estimates. An opponent may interpret the ambiguity against you.

Similarly, it is worth negotiating with the opposite side when the proposal comes from them. You should have a clear idea of ​​what they offer. Feel free to ask questions. They will help you understand if the proposed option is appropriate for your goals.

Sign language

How to conduct business negotiations? If the meeting takes place in an informal setting, try to use open postures and maintain visual contact with your interlocutor. Sitting, cross-legged and arms crossed, not worth it.

Think over your speech before the negotiations. Do not use words and phrases that can annoy your opponents. Also try to refrain from sarcastic remarks that humiliate the negotiator of the opposite side. If the conversation begins to change direction, try to return the attention of the people present at the meeting. You can ask them to voice their position. In some cases, this technique helps to achieve a compromise.

Active listening

Many start-up entrepreneurs are interested in how to negotiate with a client correctly. In this case, the tactics of “active listening” help a lot. It allows you to avoid unpleasant situations or a painful reaction from the opposite side. Active listening tactics make communication skills more sophisticated. If you often have to negotiate, it will be very useful.

It is important to observe the following recommendations:

1. Listen carefully to the person you are talking to. You can ponder your answer later.
2. Support your interest with gestures, for example, you can nod your head to let your opponent know that you hear him.
3. Demonstrate the perception of information. To do this, you can voice the essence of what has been said.
4. Try to enter the position of the interlocutor. Try to put yourself in his place and evaluate the situation with his eyes.
5. Ask the interlocutor questions, specify information.
6. Pauses in conversation should not scare you. A break of 2-3 minutes will give you the opportunity to gather your thoughts and approach the next question. If you need a longer break, take it. In some cases, 10-15 minutes can save the situation. This is especially true of meetings held in difficult psychological conditions. A break will help you restore balance and moral energy. In addition, it will provide an opportunity to assess the situation from the outside.

How during a meeting to understand that you and your opponent come to an agreement? Watch out for verbal signals from the other side. It can be the words "perhaps" or "maybe." In most cases, this is a sign of an early agreement.

Telephone conversations

There are situations when a personal meeting is impossible for a number of reasons. Then the problem has to be solved remotely. How to negotiate by phone in order to achieve the desired result? Large-scale transactions are usually not concluded by telephone. But to reach a preliminary agreement in this way is quite possible.

When conducting telephone conversations, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

1. It is recommended that you thoroughly prepare for the dialogue and make a memo. Lack of visual contact in this case is an advantage, since you do not have to be shy about cribs.
2. Immediately indicate the purpose of your call. If there can be several of them during a personal visit, then in a telephone conversation the goal is usually the same.
3. It is not necessary to immediately ask to invite the director or the person responsible for a specific question. You can use a workaround. Just ask who you can really discuss this task with, and the secretary will switch you to the right person.
4. Determinants of the needs of your interlocutor. Feel free to ask clarifying questions about plans and interests. Interest can be strengthened with just a couple of suggestions.
5. Give a short presentation of your proposal. Try to keep fit in a few minutes.
6. Work out the answer to the objection of the interlocutor. If they relate generally to the goods or services offered, explain how your proposal solves a particular problem.
7. End the call. If the conversation was successful, then at this stage you should agree on the next action. For example, a meeting to discuss the details.

Business negotiations

Any entrepreneur needs to know the basics of dialogue. A competent businessman should know how to negotiate with suppliers. Without the ability to find a common language with partners, one cannot become a big business. The basis of any contact is personal communication. No phone calls or emails will replace him. When negotiating, it is better to behave confidently and at ease. It’s not worth flirting and overly gracious with a business partner. Always remember the purpose of the meeting. A business conversation does not tolerate understatement: try to formulate your thoughts concretely and intelligibly. At the same time, carefully listen to the counter offers. The ability to conduct a conversation in this way will demonstrate your experience and knowledge.

Dialogue with the customer

This is a special type of business conversation. How to negotiate with the customer so that your cooperation becomes mutually beneficial? Be sure to ask about the needs of the client. If you raise topics that are not relevant to him, the customer will quickly lose interest in the conversation. Ask your interlocutor counter questions. This will emphasize your involvement in the business process. It is also recommended to focus on your experience in a particular area. You can give examples of already completed orders.

Conversations with terrorists

For residents of large cities, terrorism has become one of the main phobias. Often terrorist acts are accompanied by hostage taking. Much depends on how you behave in such a situation. How to negotiate with terrorists? The main advice that experts give is to try to be calm. Follow all the requirements of the invaders.

In a crisis situation, a phenomenon such as Stockholm syndrome is often observed. This term refers to the appearance of sympathy among the victims in relation to terrorists. The general tension in this situation makes people get closer. After all, terrorists also care about their own lives. Keep this in mind, but continue to show willingness to submit. Do not try to bargain. After all, you are not thoroughly aware of all the motives of the criminals. Only intelligence officers know how to conduct operational negotiations. Examples of such situations show that only when the basic recommendations of psychologists are followed can one count on a successful resolution of the problem.

Useful Tips

There are a few simple recommendations that can be used to negotiate effectively.

The main ones are:

1. Do not say yes after the first sentence. If you hurry with the answer, the interlocutor may have a negative reaction.
2. Ask for more than you hope to receive. Many psychologists, talking about how to negotiate cooperation, propose using this technique. It increases your chances for profit and allows you to build a space for conducting business conversations.
3. Show willingness to change your conditions if necessary. Consider all sides of the issue under discussion, but do not rush to make concessions. Try to take into account the interests of the interlocutor and analyze them.

Conclusion

In this review, we examined how to negotiate properly. The presented tips and recommendations will allow you to get the maximum result when conducting a conversation in various situations.