Brought to you by The Negotation Society:
Negotiations are happening around us every day, and inevitably, you’ll find yourself in one whether you like it or not. Your personal traits and how they affect your emotions are key to a successful business negotiation.
Steve Gates, the author of The Negotiation Book, lays out several important traits that one must have in order to successfully complete a negotiation. This article will break down these traits and inform businessmen and women on how to become the best possible business negotiators.
Nerve
Having nerve helps bring a sense of patience that allows you to be calm and relaxed while in a negotiation. Believe in your position, be sensitive to the opposition, and no matter what, remain calm and collective.
Having nerve also allows you to take a firm opening stance that your counterpart will take into consideration. Without nerve, you’re more likely to lose respect and feel uncomfortable, which is why it’s in your best interest to have nerve and use it to your advantage.
Self-discipline
Self-discipline requires you to separate the way you act from your feelings and emotions. It allows you to take the stance you need to be in rather than the stance that adheres to your own emotions.
Having self-discipline and not showing your emotions allows you to remain calm and seem indifferent to certain propositions that may bring forth emotions or excitement.
Being able to control yourself and your frustration, excitement, etc. is key to becoming an experienced negotiator. It doesn’t require you to be a different person but to accomplish the role needed at the time in order to perform.
Instinct/Caution
Your instincts or your “gut feelings” are very important to listen to when undergoing a negotiation. Many people have great instincts, however, when they actually perform, they freeze up under pressure and refrain from doing what their gut feeling tells them to do.
In order to become an experienced negotiator, you must have courage in what you feel and not be afraid to challenge anything that doesn’t seem right.
With instincts comes caution, another important trait that one must-have. If it’s too good to be true, trust what your instincts are telling you, and use caution continuing in the negotiation because it may be the deal at hand sounds better than it actually is.
Curiosity
Just as children ask questions and wonder about the different things in this world, negotiators should follow in their footsteps and remain curious as well. In order to create an advantage, you should gather information both before and during the negotiation.
Be curious as to what your counterpart may be bringing to the table, while at the same time, remaining curious about what options and potential routes can be taken while in the negotiation.
Taking part in effective questioning and seeking information from the other side will show a sense of respect as well as give you a better understanding of what your counterpart is trying to accomplish.
Tenacity
Tenacity is all about having courage in your convictions and questioning your own judgment. It helps negotiators work deals out rather than be quick to close on them and decide on an agreement prematurely. It’s the part of you that enables you to stand firm in your position and not be intimidated by the other party. It requires a great deal of stamina and results in seeking more value in the solution that is necessary.
Don’t ever settle for the first agreement presented; be tenacious and thorough in considering how you can create more value in order to reach a mutually beneficial solution. If you struggle with tenacity, there are places to go to help you with your negotiation skills. The Negotiation Society is a dynamic community of over 20,000 members sharing and debating negotiation insights and opinions, plus hundreds of negotiation videos and articles to help you develop your skills.
Creativity
Bringing creative solutions to the table helps resolve the deadlock situation and brings value that is necessary for business negotiation. Being creative allows you to introduce opportunities and options rather than dealing with only the issues at hand.
A creative negotiator takes considerations and turns them into variables ready for negotiation that brings more value to you and the options available.
Humility
Humility eliminates the need for ego and power and directs the interest toward working together with the other party, rather than against them, to create a long-lasting beneficial relationship.
It requires you to remove personal emotions and allows you to focus on the quality of the solution rather than being caught up with personalities and emotions. You aren’t always going to know the right answer or solution but you can demonstrate integrity by knowing what questions to ask that lead to a sufficient relationship.
A closing quote from Steve Gates himself states, “Where behaviors can be developed, traits need to be understood, as it is your self-awareness that will ultimately affect what you do, how you perform, and whether you continue to grow from each negotiation you’re involved in.”
With these particular traits and that quote in mind, you’re well on your way to becoming a skilled business negotiator.
