As a national negotiation skills keynote speaker, a frequent question I am asked is “Why should I use a negotiation skills trainer, aren’t negotiation skills common knowledge?”
Unfortunately, negotiation skills are not common knowledge and trying to negotiate a transaction of any kind without training can cost your organization money, time, competitive advantage, status or any other number of outcomes. The advantages of using a negotiation skills trainer are numerous. Here are my top 5 reasons, and then I will briefly expand on each:
Top 5 Advantages for Using Negotiation Skills Trainer
1. Eliminate your fear of negotiation
2. Understanding what a negotiation is – and isn’t
3. Knowing why everything is negotiable
4. Knowing what to expect, what not to expect – and why
5. Understanding what is important and not important
- Fear. As a national negotiation skills keynote speaker, I can say with complete confidence that everyone who enters a negotiation is fearful of something. However, that doesn’t mean it is a desperate fight-to-the-finish conflict. Be confident and be reasonable but don’t be afraid to have a position based on your goals and objectives.
- Understanding negotiation. One of the first things I stress as a national negotiation skills keynote speaker is that it is best to block out all of those over-the-top negotiations you have seen on television and in the movies. Those who negotiate, on two, three or even more sides of a major project need to reach agreement that is satisfactory to all parties. A negotiation is a promise, a satisfactory conclusion and a conversation based on mutual aims.
- Everything is negotiable. Without being fully aware of it, you have been negotiating life since childhood. Business negotiations are also based on many of the same principles: mutual respect, stating your needs, being responsible, being ethical, following through with your promises, understanding what you can and cannot do, and knowing that while you may want “everything,” settling for less helps to make the other party happy.
- What to expect, what not to expect. Most negotiations are based on both sides expressing their needs and then finding a middle ground. However, there are times when one side expects everything. There are times, when the other side, perhaps feeling intimidated or bullied or afraid, expects to get nothing. We should all expect to come away from the table feeling satisfied. Why? Because unless we are haggling over a beat-up used car, there must be the feeling that we have the ability to negotiate with the party again and that they can and will trust us to do so in good faith.
- What is important and what is not important. Some confuse negotiation with feelings; others confuse negotiations with intimidation or retribution or getting even or exacting justice. None of those points are important. What is important is in reaching a mutually acceptable conclusion to a discussion between two or more parties. Reaching that stage is what is important to me as a negotiation skills trainer.
To contact Mike Hourigan, National Negotiation Skills Keynote Speaker, please call Mike today at (704) 875-3030 or fill out the form on this page.
