Most people I meet look for ways to achieve better results through negotiations. Using a college exam analogy, they want to move from, lets say, a 70% score to 90%.
Negotiations are like an exam. Failure to prepare is preparing for failure! The problem is that negotiations are like an open book exam – lots of pages, lots of things to cover and not sure where to start.
If there is one thing you want to do – it is to be clear about your objectives. What is it you want to achieve? Not being clear on the outcomes is like getting into a taxi and not sure where you want to go. The taxi ride will unlikely result in the quickest or lowest cost outcome.
Many people go into a meeting not sure about what they want. Be clear about the variables you want to negotiate e.g. price, delivery, warranty, payment terms etc. Set a realistic goal for each variable. Prioritize the variables – which is most important, which is less – where you can be prepared to be flexible and where you cannot.
On an ending note, mastering negotiation skills is not a one-time event. Get the help of appropriate platforms to undergo professional negotiation skills training to taste better results.
All the best!