Self Help

In an overall sense, all parties to a negotiation should have the same ultimate goal: to reach an agreement which will be satisfactory to all. There may be many goals outside of the tangible goals which you might consider part of an agreement. Intangible goals which might be considered, and should be brought out in the open, are goals such as establishing a good working relationship with another company, enhancing one’s reputation in the field, establishing a new marketplace with new customers, and reinforcing company policies.

You can save yourself a lot of time by establishing mutual objectives up front in the negotiation process. By doing this, you and the other party may find that you really have the same overall goals in the negotiation. While you may disagree on certain specific points, you may learn that you both want to get to the same place.

In any kind of sales situation where people are seriously negotiating a deal, or any kind of serious management situation where an employee and employer are negotiating terms and conditions of some agreement, it is likely that the parties to the negotiation have the same ultimate goal of a good working relationship in the future and continuation of business as usual.