0

Have you ever tried to reason with with a 2 year old?

Were you surprised with their negotiation skills?

Well, my son is now almost 2 and half years old and has suddenly discovered that he has a will - a very strong will at that. Typical of children his age, he is far more concerned with getting what he wants than with executing his mother or father's instructions.

It appears to me that as children we tend to be assertive rather than accommodating in our communication with others. We are only concerned with satisfying our own needs and wants rather than satisfying the needs and wants of others around us.

It is only as we age that we believe the world does not in fact revolve around us and that we have to fit into the world in a responsible and positive way. We learn that we can not only do as we wish but also have to consider the rights, feelings and desires of others.

This made me think about the 5 basic negotiation strategies and how you can use them to support the achievement of your negotiation goals.

1.Competitive negotiation

This is a style of negotiation that is predominantly assertive and concerned only with your own needs, wants and targets.

2.Accommodating negotiation

This is a mode of negotiation that is primarily focused on the needs, wants and goals of your counterpart whilst ignoring your own needs. Sales training programmes often teach this negotiation strategy as the most suitable strategy.

3.Compromising negotiation

Probably the best known of all negotiation strategies. This is a mode of negotiation where you meet your counterparts halfway. You get some of your needs, wants and goals met and you reciprocate for your counterparts.

4.Collaborative negotiation

This is a style of negotiation where you seek to meet all of the needs, wants and objectives of your counterpart and they do the same for you.

5.Avoiding negotiation

This is a way of interaction where you do not regard negotiation as the best method to reach your targets.

The important factors which will determine which of the above approaches should be in your negotiations is to answer the following 3 questions:

a.How important is an ongoing relationship to you?

If the relationship is important, then you will not be able to be only competitive, you will have to at least compromise with your counterparts. If you do not address the requirements of your counterparts, then it is unlikely that a meaningful relationship will develop.

b.How many options are available to you?

If you have many alternatives available, you can afford to be more competitive. On the other hand, if you have only one option, then you will be forced to be more accommodating.

c.How much time is at your disposal?

If you have time on your side, then you can certainly be more competitive. The less time you have, the more accommodating you will have to be.

As you can see, it is important to ask yourself these three questions before you start negotiating so that you can select the approach most suited to the situation at hand rather than just pursuing a negotiation strategy based only on your preference.

It is also important to remember that you should be flexible in your approach. You may want to amend your approach as new information becomes available during your negotiations.

Exploring The Credit Card Merchant Account Industry And Utilizing A Supplier Similar To Charge.Com.
Getting a good merchant account is not easy. Read this to find out how it's done and to get one yourself.

Don't Throw Money Away On A Credit Card Processing Account For Your Company.
The merchant account marketplace can be very complicated. Read this article to find out what you need to know.

Enclosed Cork Boards - A Fantastic Tool To Communicate With A Lot Of People Easily
An enclosed cork board is an excellent way to communicate with a large group of people in an unobtrusive way. If you run a school office or work in a hospital or hotel, there will be times when you will need to notify people of events or fundraisers.

Pocket Folders - The Competitively Priced Folders
You must be familiar with pocket folders. If not, they are very competitive products due to many reasons. For example, they are worthwhile cases on account of their stunning designs.

Pocket Folders Makes It Very Easy To Manage Papers
In any office, the management of documents is an important but tough task. It requires the use of dedicated tools to handle documents. It is a specific task that requires great precision and efficiency.

More Knowledge About Business Coaching And Management
If you are interested in becoming a business manager yourself, you may want to seek out a career coach or attend a project management training to help you decide how you can accomplish this goal.

The Right Way To Reduce Business Travel Charges
One way that can help your business to save money is by cutting the business travel expenses. Perhaps you are one of the businessmen that have to pay quite a lot amount of money in order to cover your own or your employee business travel expenses.

Associated Articles

Associated Resources


 
 
 
Login