Positive Negotiating for Success
Positive Negotiating for Success
negotiating becomes a critical matter. The following observations are a result of over a decade
“doing deals” in the context of M&A. In each case the outcome was absolutely vital to the parties
involved, and required their agreement. It has therefore been surprising how many participants on
both sides of the table appeared to go into the process lacking an understanding of the
fundamentals of negotiating to ensure a positive result. The lack of knowledge and experience is
compounded by the high emotional content in many transactions, and becomes more critical due
to the high risks involved in a bad result.
If there’s one over-riding mistake that we’ve seen people make which threatens their desired
outcome it’s picking unnecessary fights. We advise our clients to create win-win: Always focus on
how to get the outcome you desire, while avoiding win-lose. It’s not always possible, but more
often than you’d think. With that uppermost in mind, the other suggestions make even more
sense.
1. Be prepared—it’s much more than the Boy Scouts’ marching song! Do your homework. Set
goals, and to the extent possible, define the boundaries of what you will deem “success.” Be
prepared by knowing as much as possible about the overall situation, both from your point of
view, and, equally important, from the vantage point of the people with whom you are
negotiating. Of particular importance, at the outset and throughout the process, validate your
own data, and the information provided by those with whom you are negotiating. Don’t make
assumptions. They can be extremely costly.
A road map helps to guide the effort. Build an agenda for the negotiations. And continually be
alert to any “hidden agendas” across the table.
2. HAB (hot air balloon) factor: Frequently leave the immediate scene and look down upon the
situation from 10,000 feet. From that height you will see the total picture, be able to make a
realistic assessment of progress, and, most importantly, avoid becoming sidetracked down the
wrong alleys, blind alleys, or spending time on picayune details which really are not central to
your goals.
3. Walk in the other person’s moccasins: Project your thinking to imagine you are across the
table from you. Attitudes and priorities will likely be different from there, and that awareness may
prompt you to adopt a different strategy. In any event,
as a result, you will probably be able to advance your cause much more effectively when you are
able to predict response, rather than being blind-sided by it.
4.Leave your EGO at home: Being more right and more smart is rarely productive. Remember it’s
the outcome that’s important, not your need for self-importance or superiority. Assume the
people you are negotiating with are every bit as smart as you are. ( It’s hard to find stupid people to negotiate with.) Be mindful of the need for “face”. (It’s not just a Japanese concept.)
5. Don’t sweat the little things: In negotiating it’s usually referred to as “nickle and diming”, even when it involves non-monetary matters. Being adamant about the less important things does at
least two things-neither of which is desirable. It creates a frustrating and negative environment,
and it results in a “you owe me” mind-set across the table. When this exists, it’s harder to get the outcome you desire on the really important factors.
6. Don’t start from outside the box: Some people picture all negotiated agreements as ending up
“in the middle”. And therefore to alter where the middle gets defined, they start with an extremely
exaggerated position. In my experience, this kind of posturing is seen for exactly what it is, and as a result it doesn’t work. In fact it often backfires when one party is deemed to be “posturing”,
advancing unreasonable demands. Such behaviour creates bad faith, which is the stuff that
destroys productive negotiations.
7. Hang tough……selectively. In every negotiation there are a few critical matters which are
central to the outcome you want. (They become very clear when you employ the HAB factor.) Be
prepared to trade off other items to get your way on these. Be prepared to redefine your
approach, and even redefine the item to accomplish what you want. Put your creative juices to
work to find a way to create a win-win around these items. And then hang tough.
8. Differentiate between needs and wants-your and theirs: Unless you’re the only game in town,
you can’t negotiate away things the other side needs. You’ll only frustrate the process-and
yourself by trying. The most probable outcome is a break-off in negotiations. Similarly you can’t
give on those items which are must-haves in the context of your goals. Wants on the other hand
are dispensable. One confuses the two at their peril.
9. Drama is a dangerous negotiating tool: We’ve all heard stories about one party with their hand
on the door, leaving the negotiating room, only to be called back by the other party—capitulating.
Unfortunately we don’t hear about the number of times that the bluff is called, and they’re forced
to keep on walking. A temper tantrum is a similar high risk ploy. Treat the other side with the
respect you appreciate. If you want to act, join a theatre group. If you want to negotiate for
positive results, behave like a responsible adult.
With the above in mind, in most cases you can get what you need in even the toughest
negotiations… and you may learn to enjoy it.
Positive Negotiating for Success - To learn more about this author, visit Jack Woodcock's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Regardless of what we’re doing, if the outcome is important, and anyone else must agree, then
negotiating becomes a critical matter. The following observations are a result of over a decade
“doing deals” in the context of M&A. In each case the outcome was absolutely vital to the parties
involved, and required their agreement. It has therefore been surprising how many participants on
both sides of the table appeared to go into the process lacking an understanding of the
fundamentals of negotiating to ensure a positive result. The lack of knowledge and experience is
compounded by the high emotional content in many transactions, and becomes more critical due
to the high risks involved in a bad result.
If there’s one over-riding mistake that we’ve seen people make which threatens their desired
outcome it’s picking unnecessary fights. We advise our clients to create win-win: Always focus on
how to get the outcome you desire, while avoiding win-lose. It’s not always possible, but more
often than you’d think. With that uppermost in mind, the other suggestions make even more
sense.
1. Be prepared—it’s much more than the Boy Scouts’ marching song! Do your homework. Set
goals, and to the extent possible, define the boundaries of what you will deem “success.” Be
prepared by knowing as much as possible about the overall situation, both from your point of
view, and, equally important, from the vantage point of the people with whom you are
negotiating. Of particular importance, at the outset and throughout the process, validate your
own data, and the information provided by those with whom you are negotiating. Don’t make
assumptions. They can be extremely costly.
A road map helps to guide the effort. Build an agenda for the negotiations. And continually be
alert to any “hidden agendas” across the table.
2. HAB (hot air balloon) factor: Frequently leave the immediate scene and look down upon the
situation from 10,000 feet. From that height you will see the total picture, be able to make a
realistic assessment of progress, and, most importantly, avoid becoming sidetracked down the
wrong alleys, blind alleys, or spending time on picayune details which really are not central to
your goals.
3. Walk in the other person’s moccasins: Project your thinking to imagine you are across the
table from you. Attitudes and priorities will likely be different from there, and that awareness may
prompt you to adopt a different strategy. In any event,
as a result, you will probably be able to advance your cause much more effectively when you are
able to predict response, rather than being blind-sided by it.
4.Leave your EGO at home: Being more right and more smart is rarely productive. Remember it’s
the outcome that’s important, not your need for self-importance or superiority. Assume the
people you are negotiating with are every bit as smart as you are. ( It’s hard to find stupid people to negotiate with.) Be mindful of the need for “face”. (It’s not just a Japanese concept.)
5. Don’t sweat the little things: In negotiating it’s usually referred to as “nickle and diming”, even when it involves non-monetary matters. Being adamant about the less important things does at
least two things-neither of which is desirable. It creates a frustrating and negative environment,
and it results in a “you owe me” mind-set across the table. When this exists, it’s harder to get the outcome you desire on the really important factors.
6. Don’t start from outside the box: Some people picture all negotiated agreements as ending up
“in the middle”. And therefore to alter where the middle gets defined, they start with an extremely
exaggerated position. In my experience, this kind of posturing is seen for exactly what it is, and as a result it doesn’t work. In fact it often backfires when one party is deemed to be “posturing”,
advancing unreasonable demands. Such behaviour creates bad faith, which is the stuff that
destroys productive negotiations.
7. Hang tough……selectively. In every negotiation there are a few critical matters which are
central to the outcome you want. (They become very clear when you employ the HAB factor.) Be
prepared to trade off other items to get your way on these. Be prepared to redefine your
approach, and even redefine the item to accomplish what you want. Put your creative juices to
work to find a way to create a win-win around these items. And then hang tough.
8. Differentiate between needs and wants-your and theirs: Unless you’re the only game in town,
you can’t negotiate away things the other side needs. You’ll only frustrate the process-and
yourself by trying. The most probable outcome is a break-off in negotiations. Similarly you can’t
give on those items which are must-haves in the context of your goals. Wants on the other hand
are dispensable. One confuses the two at their peril.
9. Drama is a dangerous negotiating tool: We’ve all heard stories about one party with their hand
on the door, leaving the negotiating room, only to be called back by the other party—capitulating.
Unfortunately we don’t hear about the number of times that the bluff is called, and they’re forced
to keep on walking. A temper tantrum is a similar high risk ploy. Treat the other side with the
respect you appreciate. If you want to act, join a theatre group. If you want to negotiate for
positive results, behave like a responsible adult.
With the above in mind, in most cases you can get what you need in even the toughest
negotiations… and you may learn to enjoy it.
Positive Negotiating for Success - To learn more about this author, visit Jack Woodcock's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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