Negotiations Skills Training
With
over twenty-five years of proven industry experience, the
Negotiations
Training Institute of America is the recognized leader in
negotiations training, consulting and performance coaching. Through public open
enrollment seminars and private on-session training sessions, we
have helped leading corporations, non-profit organizations and governmental
agencies improve their ability to
negotiate
better outcomes for their constituencies.
First-time
negotiators as well as those with the greatest
competitive
drive and amount of first-hand experience and
negotiations
wisdom can benefit from our time-tested workshops. Whether focusing
on
negotiating
a contract with a vendor or jumping in to the often-stressful
car buying process to
deal
with a dealership, our courses provide useful skills, proven techniques
and various classroom role plays to help you
become
more aware of negotiations that you must face on a daily basis.
For more information on our negotiation skills training courses please
contact us.
Negotiations
Training
When
Negotiations Heat Up:
Power
and Perceived Power
Many in the
business world are familiar with Sun Tzu's famous treatise, The
Art of War. In it, Sun Tzu discussed various areas related to tactics,
strategy and battle plans. Over the years,
business
professionals have seen many parallels in Sun Tzu's teachings
and what takes place in the business world on a daily basis. One
of the areas that Sun Tzu touches upon is power and
perceived
power, something that is must be taken account
during
any negotiation. Often, whoever is perceived to be more powerful
actually ends up being more powerful. While reality may speak otherwise,
those with the advantage of perception often find themselves in
a position to
control
their situation and, ultimately, the final outcome.
As part of your
preparation process, time should be devoted understanding the power
position of each party. This may be based on existing situations
or past meetings with the other party. To increase your personal
power position, there two key areas where you or your team should
focus. The first is
knowledge.
Knowledge is critical as it helps with preparation and it provides
understanding of what may be taking place during a negotiation.
In some cases, your perceived knowledge of the other party's power
may be inaccurate. Test your perceptions to get a better feel for
who truly has
power
in a negotiation. The second is communication. When you
communicate
effectively, not only do you
eliminate
misunderstandings, you also increase your knowledge base by
asking well-thought out questions. The other party may be able to
provide you with the right type of information to increase your
power position.
There are good
and bad times to use power in a negotiation. The decision on when
to use power is up to you but there are some guidelines to consider.
For example, in a
competitive
negotiation where you may be
dealing
with an individual or organization only one time, it may be
to your advantage to use your power more firmly. In a situation
where you are purchasing a car (dealerships most assuredly will
be looking to flex their negotiation muscle), it may be more prudent
to focus on outmaneuvering the other party rather than collaborating
with them. However, keep in mind whether you truly want to use this
approach. In a highly competitive situation, you can use power to
your advantage as you have less to lose.
In some cases,
people use power to
outflank
the other party. Some sales professionals use this approach
when dealing with a difficult purchasing department bent on receiving
several competitive bids. Rather than continuing to struggle with
purchasing (a department who generally has more
power
in a negotiation), they focus on "selling" to other
key
decision-makers and influencers on the value of a product or
service. By the time they have worked their way through the organization,
the purchasing department has little choice but to move forward
with the preferred product or service. The danger in this use of
power is the long-term effect on
the
relationship with the purchasing department. The
sales
professional may have won the battle but may have a difficult
war ahead of them.
Ultimately,
power can be used to one's advantage but there are marked drawbacks.
When wielded too extensively, it can lead to damaged relationships.
Choose your battles carefully and know when to use power accordingly.
For Negotiation
Skills Seminar information please
contact
us.
Related:
Negotiation Course
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