Category: General

Business negotiating can play an important role in our professional pursuits, the techniques involved can even be of help in our personal lives (outside of the office.) The truth is, we can even be negotiating without realizing it – it is an action that we do naturally from day to day. Perhaps you went to the mall over the weekend and asked for a reduction in the selling price of a faulty item, maybe you had some ideas of how to change something in your office.

Negotiating doesn’t have to be difficult, but how effortless it can or can’t be, depends on a few factors. One of the main factors will be how much is at stake and another factor that can make it a challenge is your mood – if you are upset or angry then negotiating can seem like the highest of hurdles. If you have low self esteem and the person or group you are negotiating with is full of confidence – this might be greatly intimidating for you.

The purpose of this article is to reveal some of the secrets to good business negotiation skills so that you can use them as you need – when in confrontation with colleagues or customers – or even with the big boss! You might also find that the advice here will be of use in more personal situations too.

Introduction To Negotiating

Simply put, negotiating is when two or more persons/groups will discuss their different needs and aim to come to a solution that satisfies either party. Negotiating is not a process that sticks to a set of guidelines and each case could be very variable when compared to the one before or to the next. How the situation develops will depend on the people involved and what skills/ideas/attitudes they have. What negotiating isn’t, is a conflict. Too many make negotiating faults by believing they are under pressure to get the results swayed towards their ideas – using intimidation, force and even anger.

Manny Ramirez is considered by a consensus of fans and sportswriters one of the best hitters in baseball, and unless he takes steroids or bets on games, he is expected to be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, when he hangs up his cleats.

Having said that, why is it taking so long for this king of the batter’s box to sign a rewarding contract for the 2009 season?

Spring training begins in something like three weeks!

The official word is that the Dodgers offered a two year contract and Manny wants a minimum of four. It also appears no other club is in contention for his services, which are so impactful that having Manny in the lineup can make the difference in reaching the post-season, as the Dodgers did in 2008, or warming the couch in October. I believe both sides are saying, “Forget You!” or what is known as the debilitating F-You response in negotiating. This sort of deadlocking happens all the time when amateurs square off to bargain.

Recently, Bill and his wife went out looking for beach houses to rent. A suitable castle on the sand was listed about $750 over market, according to Bill, who had done an exhaustive competitive analysis, so he offered precisely the listing price, less $750, explaining in detail how he had arrived at the figure.

The owner, who had been spoiled by higher rents when the economy was roaring, refused to lower his price by even one cent. He told the property management company, “Either they’re willing to pay my price, or forget them.”

The owner decided, at least tacitly, that he would prefer to watch the place stay empty, at a cost to him, personally, of thousands per month, than “give it away” for less than what it was worth, at least in his mind.

Playing the negotiation game the Forget-You way creates lose-lose outcomes; nobody wins.