2. The image of today’s negotiator may reflect the
cult film Glengarry Glen Ross, complete with the
door-busting, aggressive go-getter. However, in
real life getting what you want requires more
subtlety and a working knowledge of
psychology.
3. Taking the Cerebral Approach
Anyone who plays poker knows the most
important hand isn’t their own, it’s their
opponents’. In business, stack the odds in your
favor by figuring out what’s most important to
your opponent; this allows you to take the power
position during discussions.
4. The experienced negotiator will
present statistics as facts, hoping
you will accept them as such. So
protect your interests by knowing
what you’re talking about and
using provable facts. Demonstrate
your strong hand by presenting these facts in an
unbiased and professional manner.
5. Negotiating means establishing a high perceived
value for your position. Although the facts may
not be in question, you need to convince your
opposition that your position adds value over
and above the norm. Reinforce the fact that
your solution would generate higher profits, or
your offer includes things that, by virtue of your
skills/experience, only your company can
provide.
6. Show, Don’t Tell
Anyone who’s been to a bazaar
knows vendors always set prices
that are three times the actual
cost. Bazaar vendors may not be
Harvard Business Review readers,
but they’re some of the savviest negotiators
around and worth learning from. These vendors
know the price should always be set higher so
buyers feel like they’ve won or reached a
favorable compromise.
7. More important, they’ve also mastered the art
of subtlety; they never reveal their final position
or display too much interest in an offer. They
know that body language “tells” and will give
away your position no matter how carefully
you’ve rehearsed your words.
8. Turn the Tables
When presented with an offer, remember that
you’re not required to jump at it. Keep body
language in check and take a cue from
both J. Edgar Hoover
and basic contract law
by proposing a counter
offer. Act confident and
turn the tables. You may
achieve more than you
imagined.
9. The Golden Rule
If there’s one golden rule to
getting what you want, it’s never
to disclose exactly what it is you
do want. Instead, play your cards so
that your opponent believes that
your idea is actually his or her idea. Naturally, people
would much rather give you what they want, rather
than what you want. If they believe they are giving
you what they want themselves, then you’ve
achieved exactly what you wanted to achieve.
10. No One Is the Winner
After all is said and done, the art of negotiation
is nothing more than trying to convince the
other person of the merits of your position.
Once that person buys into your argument, he
or she is happy with the result. In a negotiation,
the last thing you want is for your opponent to
leave feeling he or she got a bad deal. That
doesn’t help your reputation and will sour
further negotiations. You’re really looking for a
win-win.
