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Authors: Charles Craver
Tags: General, Business & Economics
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what you will say ahead of time to limit what your adversaries may hear. You can then communicate silently with hand gestures or on paper when necessary to prevent discovery by unscrupulous opponents.
S UMMARY P OINTS
Prepare thoroughly for negotiations using the following steps:
Compile a list of as many as possible items that may be exchanged, and decide which items are “essential,” “important,” “desirable,” and “indifferent.”
Prepare arguments to support the terms you want.
Determine your bottom line by deciding your best alternative to a negotiated agreement.
Estimate the best non-settlement options available to your counterparts.
Establish firm aspiration levels, and set them high. Those who ask for better deals get better deals.
Prepare the most generous opening offers you can rationally defend, both to give yourself bargaining room and to “anchor” the preliminary discussions close to your end of the settlement range.
Visualize how you plan to move from where negotiations begin to where you hope they will end up.
Select an optimal time and location for bargaining encounters.
P ART II
A T THE T ABLE
C HAPTER 3
B UILDING R APPORT AND S ETTING THE T ONE
B argaining begins at the point of first contact. An Intelligent Negotiator strives to create, from that first step forward, positive relationships and an optimistic negotiating environment. In this chapter you will learn several ways to create this.
First, assess what you already know about those with whom you will be negotiating. Have you negotiated with these counterparts before? Just once, maybe twice, or perhaps several times? For example, if you are discussing price with a regular supplier of yours, or you and your business partner are divvying up the responsibilities for a new project, you are already familiar with each other’s personality and negotiating style. Here you can begin discussions without having to establish new ground rules.
However, if your prior dealings with this counterpart were anything less than extensive—for instance, you’redealing with a new client or recently hired account manager—expect to spend the initial moments of your negotiation establishing some personal rapport and setting the desired tone for the discussions.
If you are not at all familiar with the bargaining styles and philosophies of your counterparts, seek out pre-bargaining information about these people from friends or colleagues who may know them. Try to discover whether your prospective counterparts are cooperative or adversarial, pleasant or unpleasant, honest or less than honest, and realistic or unrealistic. By obtaining such intelligence, you can prepare for the kinds of encounters you may reasonably anticipate.
Felicia has a friend who knows the Andersen vice president. From him, she has learned that the vice president is a friendly and open person. She hopes they can get on a first-name basis quickly, to personalize their interaction. Since she likes direct people who say what they’re thinking without playing games, she thinks she is likely to have a productive and pleasant bargaining encounter with the vice president.
C REATE A P OSITIVE N EGOTIATING E NVIRONMENT
No matter how familiar your counterparts are to you, creating a positive atmosphere is always a prerequisite to cooperative, win-win interactions. Begin in-person discussions with warm handshakes and smiles. Personalize the interaction. As soon as it is socially acceptable, try to get on a first-name basis to remind your counterpart that you are engaged in personal interactions. (When dealingwith individuals from foreign cultures that have more formal social structures, however, be careful not to use first names too quickly in a manner that may offend your counterparts.) By emphasizing the personal nature of your encounters, you will diminish the likelihood of negative behavior that is more likely to occur during impersonal transactions.
You’ll most likely begin
S UMMARY P OINTS
Prepare thoroughly for negotiations using the following steps:
Compile a list of as many as possible items that may be exchanged, and decide which items are “essential,” “important,” “desirable,” and “indifferent.”
Prepare arguments to support the terms you want.
Determine your bottom line by deciding your best alternative to a negotiated agreement.
Estimate the best non-settlement options available to your counterparts.
Establish firm aspiration levels, and set them high. Those who ask for better deals get better deals.
Prepare the most generous opening offers you can rationally defend, both to give yourself bargaining room and to “anchor” the preliminary discussions close to your end of the settlement range.
Visualize how you plan to move from where negotiations begin to where you hope they will end up.
Select an optimal time and location for bargaining encounters.
P ART II
A T THE T ABLE
C HAPTER 3
B UILDING R APPORT AND S ETTING THE T ONE
B argaining begins at the point of first contact. An Intelligent Negotiator strives to create, from that first step forward, positive relationships and an optimistic negotiating environment. In this chapter you will learn several ways to create this.
First, assess what you already know about those with whom you will be negotiating. Have you negotiated with these counterparts before? Just once, maybe twice, or perhaps several times? For example, if you are discussing price with a regular supplier of yours, or you and your business partner are divvying up the responsibilities for a new project, you are already familiar with each other’s personality and negotiating style. Here you can begin discussions without having to establish new ground rules.
However, if your prior dealings with this counterpart were anything less than extensive—for instance, you’redealing with a new client or recently hired account manager—expect to spend the initial moments of your negotiation establishing some personal rapport and setting the desired tone for the discussions.
If you are not at all familiar with the bargaining styles and philosophies of your counterparts, seek out pre-bargaining information about these people from friends or colleagues who may know them. Try to discover whether your prospective counterparts are cooperative or adversarial, pleasant or unpleasant, honest or less than honest, and realistic or unrealistic. By obtaining such intelligence, you can prepare for the kinds of encounters you may reasonably anticipate.
Felicia has a friend who knows the Andersen vice president. From him, she has learned that the vice president is a friendly and open person. She hopes they can get on a first-name basis quickly, to personalize their interaction. Since she likes direct people who say what they’re thinking without playing games, she thinks she is likely to have a productive and pleasant bargaining encounter with the vice president.
C REATE A P OSITIVE N EGOTIATING E NVIRONMENT
No matter how familiar your counterparts are to you, creating a positive atmosphere is always a prerequisite to cooperative, win-win interactions. Begin in-person discussions with warm handshakes and smiles. Personalize the interaction. As soon as it is socially acceptable, try to get on a first-name basis to remind your counterpart that you are engaged in personal interactions. (When dealingwith individuals from foreign cultures that have more formal social structures, however, be careful not to use first names too quickly in a manner that may offend your counterparts.) By emphasizing the personal nature of your encounters, you will diminish the likelihood of negative behavior that is more likely to occur during impersonal transactions.
You’ll most likely begin
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