Here's how to make
a win-win deal
The positions and interests in negotiation
Consciously or unconsciously, we negotiate all day long. So do you. Far more often than you think. With clients, colleagues and at home. In every conversation, you take a certain position. Sometimes that position is at odds with the other person’s. So how do you come to an outcome that both of you agree with?
Focus on interests, not positions
A position is the visible part of a negotiation. Underneath it are interests. Once you explore those interests, you come to solutions that better suit both of you.
As an example, take a customer who says your product must be delivered on Monday. That feels like a hard demand. As soon as you inquire further, you may discover that Monday is the only day when someone is present to evaluate the product for quality. So the importance is not the delivery day, but the assurance that the product is well received and checked. That opens up new possibilities. Maybe you send someone with expertise in that case. Maybe you schedule another check. Once you know the interests, you can move along creatively without losing your own position.
Dealing with resistance and objections
In sales conversations, customers regularly express doubts. Often these doubts are labeled as objections. Many sales training programs therefore focus on brushing away objections. That seems logical, but it rarely works.
Here’s the thing. Doubt almost always arises because the proposal does not yet match the client’s interests. Anyone who immediately shoots into reaction misses the point. Ask yourself: where does the doubt come from? Once you uncover that cause, you can prevent resistance instead of fighting it. The deal lies in asking questions. What does someone want to achieve? What is at stake? What risks does he or she see? The sooner you elicit this information, the fewer objections there will be later.
Do you want to recognize interests sharply, respond better to resistance and learn to negotiate smoothly? Then take a look at our New Style Negotiation training course.
