Every negotiation is based on meeting a need. Understanding this could simplify it to the point where you can develop systems that will cut through the chase and meet the needs of those on that table in such a way that they can shake hands. If it is directly related to you, understanding these needs will give you an edge in your negotiation because you know what the other person really wants.
It is always interesting how people can go to great lengths just to prove a point or get one from of acknowledgement or the other from the other party. It is important you know this because it could save you a lot of money as well as time when it comes to negotiating over an issue.
The Need For Security
There are issues that have their bedrock in meeting the need for security. This could be in a form of assurance over an event or for that of the future. If you understand that the real issue is that of meeting future financial needs, it would be easier to create a proposal that will answer to that need and hence quicken how that matter will be resolved.
It would also be a waste of time to base your negotiation strategy on providing something the other party has no interest in as such. This will only make the negotiation longer because you will still have to come to that point where the actual need will be tabled before you.
How you get to this point may influence the outcome. If you had presented something that addressed it from the onset, it may have been easier to get a better deal off the table. However, it may cost you far more than you bargained, if it takes so long a route to come to it.
The Need For Meeting Social Needs
The negotiation may be based on the need for meeting social obligations on the side of the other party. In this case, the money offered might be great, but, it will not serve to bring the negotiation to a point of resolution as quickly as possible because that need has not been addressed.
Social needs may be in form of rights and obligations that are related to accessing the issue that has brought both parties to the negotiation table. This can be a thorny issue so you should be ready to look at all the options available.
The Need of Pride
This may have nothing to do with vanity. It may be all about preserving the dignity of one or both the parties involved. If it is a negotiation involving two people, it may take the form of signed statements that the other party must attest to, but this issue affects both individuals and businesses alike. Image can be a very valuable commodity that can destroy or build an entity. The need of pride is a real need that people bring to the negotiation table. It is also a touchy issue that must be recognized as being sensitive to either one or both parties.
Toying with emotion in a negotiation can be a counterproductive move. Giving it its due recognition could quickly resolve an issue but toying with it could escalate the conflict and most times, the party would head for the courts. Look at this need and present a solution that will assuage it for both parties, and you could get to the signing of documents very fast.
There are people who will insist that some things should be kept under wraps. It could be the negotiation or settlement. This could also be a way of answering to that need of pride.
Now you do not have to meet the needs above for that negotiation to be quickly resolved. It is good to recognize the real need because it will help you pick the strategy to adopt in the negotiation. However, there may be needs that you are not ready to meet. Knowing them will give you the time to plan for an offer that may serve as the best substitute, and if you sell that offer well, the other party may just decide to buy it.
It is important that you always look to unearth the basic needs of everyone that is coming to the negotiation table. This will give you insight on the best strategy to adopt, that will help you in getting something out of that table which will leave you satisfied.
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