Some folks are negotiating experts, negotiating all manner of things for a living.
Then there are the rest of us...negotiations aren't our career but every now and again we need to negotiate something.
A few lessons I've learned along the way:
- Know your wants, needs, must-haves, and hard "no's". Know the other party's too. A solid result likely resides somewhere between all these.
- Be confident but don't assume anything.
- Trust your gut but don't let emotion outweigh logic.
- Don't give up too easily/soon.
- If your sole goal is to 'beat' the other party, you're not negotiating. Both sides need to walkaway with some sense of victory.
- Don't go it alone. Leverage relationships to help your cause.
- Unless a specific point is truly the only point, remember the big picture/whole deal. Singular focus on one point can derail success.
- Know when to stop negotiating; negotiating for the sake of negotiating is rarely the point.
What would you add?
Be well my friends. Keep up the fire!