How to Negotiate Your Way From a No to a Yes - globaladvisors.biz/inc-feed/20141110/how-to-negotiate-your-way-from-a-no-to-a-yes/ By REBECCA BORISON When interacting with a deal breaker, its important to understand where theyre coming from. When you are trying to secure a deal of any sorts, whether it be with someone in your company or a potential partner, it is crucial to leverage what business adviser Paul Weinstein calls the dynamics of position. In a Harvard Business Review blog post, Weinstein explains the importance of positioning yourself well whenever youre making deals. He compares the process to a poker game, claiming that the most important part of the game, as it is in dealmaking, is knowing where you stand relative to the other players. Its not enough to know your proposal; you need to understand where the other players are coming from. This can be tricky, especially when interacting with a deal breaker, the dissenter who refuses to cave to your conditions. In this scenario, Weinstein advises that you try to understand where the deal breaker is coming from and try to understand his or her motivations, which he explains can be one of three: respect, advancement, and self-preservation. In some cases, deal breakers are simply too proud to give into your negotiations. They think they know more than you about the subject and deserve your respect. If this is the case, try speaking their language or jargon to make them look smart. By simply showing them the respect they deserve, you are giving them part of what they need to get out of your way, Weinstein writes. After that, its merely about convincing them why the deal is a safe, riskproof move. Other deal breakers are actually hoping for a competing result. They have their own idea or solution to advance, and that doesnt leave room for yours. In this case, its important to get the deal breaker on your team. Figure out how your solution will really benefit the deal breaker and then form an alliance. The last type of deal breaker Weinstein mentions are traditionalists who are simply opposed to change. They rely on precedent, are risk-averse, and shy away from the new. In this case, you need to make your idea seem inevitable. Make the deal breaker feel confident that he or she can transition to the new and stay current. The reality is that all blockers say no (or yes) because it is in their best interest to do so, Weinstein writes. And their motivations, like your own, are dictated by their position around the deal table. By leveraging that, you can neutralize their concern in a way that allows them to either benefit from the deal or get out of the way with their credibility intact.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:35:18 +0000
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