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CW Contract Law and Legal Negotiation Advice

CW Contract Law and Legal's professional negotiators can help you straightaway with any negotiation matter and more.

Call us today on 0333 121 0161 or go to our  Contact Page and make your enquiry. We’ll get back to you promptly with a meaningful response.

Preparation – Don’t Underestimate this Requirement

Preparation is an investment of time. Fail to prepare then prepare to fail. A hackneyed cliché? We do not thinks so.

Napoleon once asked himself the simple question if he was ready. If the enemy comes from my front, my left, right or behind me - Am I ready? If I am not then I am not ready.

Who is on each side? What’s the history? What’s the balance of bargaining power? What can each side afford to give away? What’s your Plan B or fall back position?

1.      The Other Person Is Never As Strong As You Think They Are

You know your business better than anybody so you bring a wealth of knowledge and power to the table. It doesn’t matter how badly you think you need the deal you don’t need to weaken your position by making the other side stronger with your mindset. What do you have on your side Expertise? Product Knowledge? Authority? Network power? Rules and Regulations?

Remember TOPINASAYTTA at all times.

2.      Two Ears One Mouth

Listen to what the other party is saying then create an agenda to bring harmony to both sides. All long lasting, successful deals are based on harmony within negotiation. All the best negotiators are the best listeners who hear what the other side are saying.

3.      Allow Acceptance Time

Don’t overlook this important principle. People need time to accept change or anything new.

4.      Ask for what you Want

The more you ask for the more you get, so don’t negotiate with yourself before you open the bidding. And you only need one good reason to support what you ask for – don’t waffle – the more you say the more you give away.

5.      Be prepared to try Different Behaviours to break a Deadlock

Different behaviours suit different people, so don’t just rely on your ‘old favourites’ all the time. Adapt to the patterns other people use in order to be more persuasive – e.g. there is no point using “big-picture” thinking to influence someone who is more comfortable with detail. Take breaks if you need to. Stay fluid.

6.      Work out what Everybody Needs

This is not always easy, as people tend to hide behind surface wants like “price” or “quantity” rather than revealing their real emotional drivers. Often it’s the underlying needs that they are really telling you they want. Listen for the clues about what is really going on.

7.      Understand Who You Are Negotiating With

History is full of negotiations where one side does not understand the motivation or culture of the other side. Use your preparation time to ensure you know who you are dealing with, but if something changes then don’t be frightened to take stock and take a break. If someone wants detail give them detail.

8.      Agree to Close the Easy Parts

Don’t get bogged down with the hard stuff early on. Agree the simple stuff so that the hard stuff becomes smaller with time, but don’t give concessions on easy parts just to solve them. If you just solve the easy points with concessions and leave the difficult points to the end you will have no concessions left with which to solve them.

9.      Know when the Deal is Done and Close it Quickly

Closure can be as elusive as trying to catch the wind. If you get to a closure moment close the deal. Don’t keep going or else the moment of closure gets lost in the rhetoric and posturing can come into the negotiation. The other side may change their mind because they lose interest, have a change of personnel, have a restructure or change their strategy.

10.  When you are Bargaining, Listen so you Hear The Key Signals

When something is agreed make sure both parties know and agree it is agreed. Agreement on what is agreed often is an enabler for a closure moment. Keep some points open so you can put packages together to deal with difficult issues

CW Contract Law and Legal Negotiation Advice

CW Contract Law and Legal's professional negotiators can help you straightaway with all of these issues and more. Call us today on 0333 121 0161 or go to our  Contact Page and make your enquiry. We’ll get back to you promptly with a meaningful response.