Business negotiation has been made more complex than it needs to be, and that's far worse than confusing - it's disempowering. What keeps the deal afloat or makes it sink isn't pulling one perfect response out of a arsenal of a dozen, two dozen or 200 negotiation tactics. It has nothing to do with whether the person sitting on the other side of the table is the strong, silent type, a motor mouth, obsessive compulsive or ADHD.
Whether you're haggling over the price of a flea-market watch or trying to win a global multi-million dollar deal, every negotiation hinges on only two elements:
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Consequences of No Agreement
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Trades
In other words, what will happen if they walk away from this deal and what are they willing to trade to move it forward? What will happen if we walk away from this deal and what are we willing to trade to move it forward?
Here's the rub: to make this optimally effective, you must think through nearly every aspect of what you potentially have to offer, what the competition has to offer, and the gap between the two -- what you have that the competition doesn't. Then, you have to think through what each side is willing to trade to close the deal.
Want to know more? Request a three-page article entitled, "Rethink Those Tips and Tactics, Powerful Negotiation is Simple."
