“Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.”
Carrie Fisher
Negotiation is a skill set that opens a world of possibilities, especially for businesses. However, the secret lies in the ability of the negotiator. Not just in sales or the business world but in real life too, negotiation plays a vital role in helping people get deals that they want.
Now, there are many people who shy away from negotiations because of stories and myths that they’ve heard of in the past. Well, we’re here to bust a few of them.
It is important that every individual, especially business professionals in general sales and marketing, have some degree of negotiation ability to help them grow in their respective roles.
1. Good Negotiators Are Born Not Made
The first myth is one that a high proportion of the population believe in. People believe that negotiation is an innate skill and most people who master the art are born with a knack for it. This is extremely untrue. Great negotiators have perfected their skills over a number of years along with various key learning experiences in order to get to the point at which they can claim themselves to be a great negotiator.
The art of negotiating is learnt and polished over a period of time. Every good negotiator makes mistakes but this is what makes them better. Those who get nervous after making a few mistakes can have a hard time finding the confidence to get back into the game and try again. It is important to learn from any mistakes made and ensure you don’t make the same ones.
2. Negotiators Have to Be Aggressive
Aggressiveness, being opinionated and arguing all the time are considered hallmark traits of negotiators. This is another myth that people have built over time. Not every good negotiator is ready to pounce at every opportunity to talk about what is laid in front of them. Many are calm and composed, even introverts at times. However, a crucial thing that they have is knowledge of their subject. This can make all the difference in negotiations; you don’t need to have an aggressive approach, you just need to be prepared.
3. There Is No Place for Emotions in a Negotiation
People who are quick to express their emotions or their inner feelings are visibly obvious to others, and it can affect their negotiation skills. They believe that these things hamper good negotiations. However, what these people fail to understand is that when negotiations occur between two people, emotions will inevitably get involved.
It is the ability to channel these emotions in an effective manner and control them where necessary that matters. For instance, anger is a negative trait but a controlled amount of frustration can be effective in portraying the sensitivity of a matter to a certain vendor or business partner.
4. Negotiations Are Either Won or Lost
No, not every negotiation ends with a win or loss. Some are left with the other person being indecisive. Although this is a victory of sorts, it is not evident at that point. This is why if you leave an effective negotiation with no clear conclusion, you need to be patient regarding the outcome.
Negotiation training can help individuals and organizations turn loss into success. It is important that negotiators or those trying to learn these skills are not bogged down by any irrelevant theories and misconceptions.
