Secrets To Being Innovative When Negotiating

Posted on May 30th, 2008 by admin

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Recently, an associate made a presentation and invoked some new and very innovated approaches to delivering presentations. The vast majority of members in the audience thought the presentation was interesting, informative, engaging, and enlightening. Some commented on its unique delivery and found it refreshing from the more tried and true delivery styles of just standing up and speaking. One individual that sat on the board of the organization, for which my associate delivered the presentation, thought the presentation was ‘over the top’ and complained vigorously. The lesson to be gleaned is, you’ll never be able to please everyone, but don’t let that stop you from seeking new and innovative techniques to advance your negotiation position and skills.

When you negotiate do you fear allowing the innovation of new ideas to flow? As I’ve always stated, before entering into a negotiation, gather as much ‘background’ information as possible on the individuals with whom you’ll be negotiating. In my associate’s situation, the one thing he could have done, prior to delivering his presentation, was talk with board members and engage them to get their ‘buy in’ of the presentation.

When you negotiate, the process of gathering background information about the entities with whom you’ll be negotiating is the time to get as much ‘buy in’ as possible and vet your ideas. By vetting your ideas in this stage, you can send up ‘trial balloons’ (Trial balloons are ‘what if’ scenarios. They can also be stated in the form of a position you have for the negotiation.) and receive feedback that will indicate how well such ideas might be received once you’re at the negotiation table. In essence the ‘trail balloons’ will serve as an altimeter for the receptiveness of your ideas.

You should be cautious about the introduction of new and innovated ideas into a negotiation that you have not previously thought out. By that I mean, you have to have an idea as to where the introduction of your idea(s) may be applied in and during the negotiation and where such ideas may lead. In addition, new ideas that are introduced into a negotiation can have unwanted results and thus the reason why you should have an idea as to how your new idea will be received by the other participants of the negotiation.

When you negotiate, prior to the actual negotiation session, try to get as much ‘buy in’ to your position as you can. By doing so, you’ll have an easier time as you move towards the goal of the negotiation.

Never be fearful to negotiate from the perspective of being innovative, but understand the pluses and minuses of doing so before entering into the negotiation. By getting a handle on innovative ideas when negotiating, you’ll be armed with additional strategies you can employ during the negotiation and you’ll have a stronger negotiation hand … and everything will be right with the world.

The Negotiation Lessons are …

    When you negotiate, gather enough background information to allow for the proper planning of the negotiation. In your negotiation plan, determine the alternate routes you might have to take in order to reach your end goal.

    Being innovative in a negotiation can lead to astounding results, but be cautious in the introduction of innovative ideas. Some people are too reserved, too stagnant, and too immobile in their views and outlook to appreciate innovative thoughts and ideas. By being innovative in situations with individuals of that ilk, you could be doing damage to the overall outcome of the negotiation.

Greg Williams - The Master Negotiator

http://www.TheMasterNegotiator.com

http://www.YourEmergingSmallBusiness.com

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