3 Steps To Efficient Negotiation Skills

Negotiation skills training is beneficial only for sales professionals. Do you agree with that? I hope not!

Negotiation skills are essential for each and every one of us as we need to negotiate with various people in our professional and personal lives. In fact, you’ll realise we do it even more with our parents, spouse, children, vegetable vendor, etc. Right? Ever asked your parents for a Goa trip and received ‘no’ for an answer? Hahaha! Now you get what I mean!

On a serious note, we all need to be good at negotiation. And if these skills come to you naturally, great! But if they don’t? Then that’s what negotiation skills training programs are for.

In this article, we are going to discuss the 3 steps that are essential in any negotiation situation.

Step 1: Preparation

It’s important that for a negotiation to happen successfully, one needs to be fully prepared. You must have all the required information with regards to your own position, why it’s important to you and how far you are ready to budge on it.  The opposing party’s interests and limitations are also important for you to know. Also, think about what can be done if the negotiation is not successful for some reason. Prepare multiple alternatives solutions also for the same, so that you can increase the chances of a successful negotiation.

Step 2: Development

In this step, both the parties exchange information, ideas and their point of views. Make it a point to listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Ask clarifying questions to ensure that you’re both on the same page. This the phase where disagreements take place and conflicts may erupt. Stay assertive and avoid getting aggressive or falling into a passive stance. The objective here is to come up with a solution that is beneficial to both the parties. One also needs to be very patient during this phase as it can go on for quite some time and can lead to some pretty difficult discussions coming forth. Don’t try to rush this phase. Let things emerge.

Step 3: Close

This is the decision-making phase of the process. In this phase, there are two possibilities. Either there will be an agreement, or the negotiation will not come through. One needs to ensure that all the issues are dealt with clearly between both the parties and there are no discrepancies. In a professional set up, it is recommended to document the discussion. This process can be concluded by determining and finalizing the further plan of action.

I have explained these steps very briefly. For being able to actually negotiate effectively, one needs to learn the process in detail and practice it too. A negotiation skills training program is therefore highly recommended for all those that face such situations often. It gives some great insights into your negotiation style and how you can improve the same along with giving you practice. And that’s when you can truly become a master of negotiation, even if it’s not a skill that comes naturally to you!