Negotiation

Negotiation – Business lunch – learning points

October 17, 2009

At the Brighton business lunch yesterday I was talking to some very experienced business men and women. Letting them think about the most common mistakes that good negotiators make.

Two directors who are running a very successful surveying company, came up and told me the key issue in negotiating tactics that they hadn’t thought of was “To go to negotiating meetings together, rather than alone”. This has the advantage of one director being able to sit back and watch the proceedings develop. Watch the body language and then when the trading of concessions take place, a “time out” can be taken and a considered view, from two points of view, can be taken. This will mean that better decisions will be made which will enhance the bottom line.

What you need to do here to maximise the position

1 – Plan who will do most of the talking and who will do the observing. Active and passive
2 – Never interupt. Allow the questions to be asked and re-asked perhaps in “Colombo” fashion
3 – Listen carefully, watch the reaction of other people at the meeting
4 – Take a time out, consider what the observer has seen
5 – Go back in and ask clarifying questions
6 – Decide what to do – and make your new bid conditional on getting something extra from them

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