Self Help

The key to successful negotiation is preparation. Every hour spent in preparing to negotiate will be rewarded many times over when agreement is finally reached. There are many negotiations that have failed because one or the other party was not prepared to negotiate. All of us have experienced times when we were trying to reach an agreement and felt we were being taken advantage of by someone who was in much better command of the facts, positions, and goals. At that time, we may have been unprepared to deal with someone who was so prepared. Unfortunately this situation happens more often than most of us would like to admit.

A person who fully understands what the other party is looking for, knows his or her background, and has some understanding of where the other party wants to go with the agreement will have a great advantage over someone who has not researched the other side’s background and position.

Prepping For Negotiation

Properly prepping for negotiation should include four major steps. Each of the steps is equally important and should be completed before a negotiation is initiated. This is especially important when you are caught off guard.

1. Prepare your goals: Before you do anything else, you need to decide which goals you would like to achieve in your negotiation. The thought process that you go through to determine your goals will give you direction in the negotiation process. Not taking the time to determine your goals in advance will make it that much easier for your counterparts to impose their goals upon you.

2. Research the topic: To be fully prepared, you will have to research your topic. There is a direct relationship between the amount of time you spend researching a position and the ultimate strength of that position. If you do not spend any time in research, you cannot expect to have a strong position to defend. If you spend a lot of time in research, you can expect that your position will be more convincing and can be vigorously defended.

3. Evaluate your counterpart: Evaluating your counterpart means more than just evaluating the people who will be presenting or defending themselves in negotiation with you. It also means evaluating the position that you think the other party might take. By anticipating your counterparts’ positions, you will increase your ability to successfully counter their arguments.

4. Prepare your rationale: This is the step in which you will develop the ability to defend the goals you have set forth in the “preparation of goals” stage. Every time you say no to your opponent’s request, you should have a rationale to justify your response. It is not enough just to say no. You need to have a good reason for doing so. Only through this process of rationalization and justification can you expect your opponents to come around to your way of thinking. If they feel you are rejecting their requests out of hand, you will most definitely have a tough time bringing them around to your side.