The one sentence summary

Negotiation now requires a more sophisticated, collaborative approach.

Few people enjoy going into a negotiation, but you risk losing out if you can’t do it skilfully.
Negotiation has changed dramatically, and now requires a more sophisticated, collaborative approach.
Effective negotiators can handle these three areas effectively:

Attitude: they can manage their own and others’ negotiation attitudes

~ Fusers: work in partnership to put the agenda of both parties together.

~ Confusers: distort first impressions and lead attitudes astray.

~ Users: are old-fashioned and it doesn’t work.

~ Losers: who wants to be one?

Process: they can manage the stages and the overall structure of the negotiation, which are:

~ Preparation: put in the spadework before starting.

~ Climate setting: create the right atmosphere.

~ Wants & Needs: why do people want what they say they want?

~ Coinage: value things you have that may be of value to the other party.

~ Bidding: ask for what you want, sound like you mean it, with good reason

~ Bargaining: keep reframing the issue or expanding the pie. Only offer concessions in a disciplined way.

~ Closing: move to closure briskly when the opportunity arises.

Behaviour: they understand and manage their own and others’

~ ‘I’ behaviour: state expectations; propose with reasons; test and probe; incentives and pressures

~ ‘You’ behaviour: disclose; explore; focus on common ground; listen

~ ‘We’ behaviour: visualise; check for consensus; share problems & solutions

~ Parting behaviour: pit stop; break; silence; terminate; stand up to tough guys

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

Count your aces – most people have more bargaining power than they think. This could include information, expertise, market power, scale, weight, referral, network, numbers, relationships, rules & regulations, authority or personal.
Always establish a BATNA and WATNA before starting: Best/Worst Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. This is better than a bottom line.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH