3 Top Skills of World-Class Negotiators

How often do you negotiate?  More frequently than you might guess.  Most people say once or twice a month when in reality they are negotiating all day, everyday.  

Negotiation is a form of gaining buy-in from others.  We all can agree that getting buy-in from our family’s, friends and colleagues certainly is a daily happening. Clearly your ability to negotiate effectively and fairly is critical to your life’s success.  So what are the traits and strategies of world class negotiators?  

There are too many to mention in this short article, and there are three that are universally applied by all world class negotiators and masters of gaining buy-in from others.  They are:

1. Preparation:  doing your homework up front is critical to your success.  Obviously you know what you want and why you want it.  Do you know, however, exactly what the other party wants and why they want it.  You must dig deep to find out exactly what the other party wants, and specifically why they want it.  You have to know their emotional reasons to act. 
   
2. WIIFT:  What’s In It For Them!  If you’re honest, you’ll say that you are the most important person in the world at any given time.  Guess what, that’s universal.  All people feel that way, and whether it’s negotiation or gaining buy-in, you must operate and treat the other party as though they are the most important person in the world.  In other words, frame everything in terms of what’s in it for them.  What are the benefits, not features, to them.
   
3. Never let them see you sweat:  specifically, you must remain cool, calm and collected.  The moment you lose your poise you lose your ability to communicate effectively, and you are no longer perceived as professional acting in their best interests.
   
4. BONUS:  Show them how they get their “why’s” or reasons when you get your result.  Tie your outcome to their emotional reasons and deals happen incredibly fast.  Buy-in happens immediately.
   

The long and short is there are dozens of negotiating and buy-in strategies.  They all work on some level.  Universally, the four listed here are all practiced by world class negotiators because they work every time and lead to win-win deals.

Cultivate them, practice them, and master them.  Magic will happen fast!

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