1 Easy Negotiation Skills Technique That Will Instantaneously Produce Better Negotiation Results

There is one easy negotiation skills method that can be utilized by anyone to immediately and positively impact their negotiation results. This technique is to constantly (yes always) overstate your expectations at the negotiation table.

Henry Kissinger, the well-known American Secretary of State said: Effectiveness at the conference table depends upon overstating one's demands, a well known quote referred to in both negotiation training and sales training courses. There are numerous grounds why it is key for you to start with high aspirations when you engage in negotiations:

1. Research has proven that high aspirations will constantly do better than low aspirations. It could be said that if you want to hit the moon, you must aim for the stars. You will be astonished by the effectiveness of something so simple. Many of my clients are very pleased when they realise that they can accomplish more from their negotiations by simply requesting more!

2. Having high aspirations will permit you to 'anchor' the negotiation around your aspirations. It is far better 'anchoring' negotiations around your aspirational level rather than your absolute minimum acceptable level. Having high aspirations express confidence and helps to emphasize the quality of your proposals.

3. Perhaps most importantly, having high objectives will allow you the room to be accommodating in your negotiations. Research tells us that most people compare their success at the negotiation table with their ability to get allowances from their counterparty. The reality is that your counterparty will have no incentive to be accommodating or to make concessions to you if you are not prepared and able to make concessions to them.

Therefore, if you do not permit yourself some 'room to move' then you risk coming across to the other side as someone who is inflexible and unwilling to make allowances. Please note that I am NOT suggesting that you start your negotiations with extreme and unrealistic demands. Your opening offer must show a level that is realistic and that you are able to rationalise using a solid, factual argument. It can be high risk using extreme demands and offers as the other side may well decide not to negotiate with you at all.

Some time ago I worked with a large multi-national organisation who used an approach of 'the price we demand is the only price we sell at'. As they are a well recognised and old company in the USA, most of their clients have come to know them as the type of organization that has a traditional approach to business and have learned to live with this approach. However, when using this method in Poland, the company realised that they were being perceived as being inflexible by the other side because they would never budge on their prices.

In Polish business culture this method was not acceptable and they found it exceedingly difficult to conclude agreements in the Polish market place. The simple solution was for them to ask for a little more than their standard prices so that they could permit clients the opportunity to negotiate with them and to gain some concessions from them. This method proved to be very successful for them.

Of course, bear in mind that 9 out of 10 times your counterparty's first offer will be an aspirational goal, not their minimum expected outcome. This means that you should never accept any first proposal that is made - you should always negotiate!

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