Negotiation 101

How do you get what you want?

The fascinating thing about this is you can get what you demand or you can get what you ask for. I think in general what ends up happening is you get what you negotiate for.

  Negotiating tips for for success:

  I think the important negotiation essentially is any interaction or any discussion where there is an outcome so it’s not just a “chat over coffee.”  This is something where you’re talking about something, that there’s something at stake, something that you desire or maybe you change your opinion or change in terms or something like that. That’s the first thing about negotiation and I think it’s critical. 

The  main part of this entire process is listening.

So instead of walking in guns blazing, and asking for x, y, & z,  I think it’s very important to just walk in and I’d say, “hey, let’s have a little discussion about this,” and then just put your verbal skills in park. Have your listening skills at maximum. You want to listen to what the other party is saying and you want to make sure that so first step is listening.

Make sure they feel understood.

  If you’re both talking about a mutual problem in different ways that they want to try to solve it and how you can help them, then you want to make sure you’re understanding what they’re saying. In order to make people feel more understood, ease your way into a conversation that is already going on in the mind of the person you’re talking to.

  For example, let’s say their thought processes is, we need to cut costs. You have to help them figure out a way to help cut costs. Now, clearly you’re going to be asking me for something probably that would cost money or time or resources on their part; so you want to make sure that you can help them cut costs, and understand that need before you go forward.

Give them and yourself PLENTY OF TIME.

  You want to make sure you give yourself plenty of time and give them plenty of time to understand all of their thoughts and desires and concerns. Ask open ended questions about what their fears and worries are and what their best outcomes could be for all this. And at the end of the process, you may determine that this may be a deal or this may be an interaction that you don’t want to have anything to do with. Sometimes what the best deals and some of the best surgeries or I do, or the ones that I don’t do in some of these negotiations is that you enter in to help.

Your burnout may be best served if you end up with no action on your part, and no negative outcomes from your side, so hopefully that’s helpful for you.

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