There is no right or wrong to fire up your opening negotiation…
There may be a lot of people who are uncertain about the right way to start off a fruitful negotiation with their counterparts. They tend to think or behave as though there is really a “right” way to start it off, which eventually will make them expect the magic word “yes” from their opponent. I speak from my experience. There isn’t any blueprint on how or what you should follow throughout your negotiation tactics, but perhaps there are several ways which you may want to consider.
Here are the 2 main important issues you need to consider when opening your negotiation talks.
a) Hear, understand and tackle the main issues first and foremost
b) Building a cooperative environment and getting the trust and respect from each other.
Say no to guerilla negotiating…
The first strategy is what I shall say, the most risky kind of tactic you shouldn’t employ. If you demand too much in the first place, you may provoke and outrage the other opponent, which in the end may set your negotiations into a wrong direction.
If things are so hard and difficult to come by for your opponent in the first place, do you think if by any chance that they will listen to you in the long run? They may not be aware of the significance of the main topics that you are bringing in, but tackling it later on will certainly save you a lot of time in the long run. Build rapport first.
Fostering a closer relationship…
If things are too difficult to handle in the first place, the safest bet you can take on is to look for points at the outset that might bring you closer to your opponent.
For example, try to get to know them well, have a small talk on their thoughts and principles and what are their likes and dislikes. This is something like an information gathering sessions, for what you’ve gathered may actually help you handle issues that are raised subsequently.
But you are advised to be cautious when using this tactic as the opponent may actually trying to outsmart you before they become more aggressive in the future. With this closer tie, try not to be too encouraged to give away information which you should not.
The final part… Whatever tactics you may use for your opening negotiation, always try to give yourself an added advantage by kicking off the negotiation. You may be able to handle the proceedings well and to sum up matters which are more favorable to you.
Sunny Tan currently runs a successful Elearning business through his company, E Learning Avenue Inc. Check out his latest offering in Elearning programs here http://www.elearning-avenue.com
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