Ask Mr. Fix it

Have you ever tried to negotiate with a 2 year old?

Were you surprised with their negotiation skills?

Well, my son is now almost 2 and half years old and has now discovered that he has a will - a seriously strong will at that. Typical of children at this stage, he is far more concerned with getting what he wants than with complying with his mother or father's wishes.

It appears to me that as children we tend to be assertive rather than accommodating in our interaction with others. We are only interested in meeting our own needs and wants rather than accommodating the needs and desires of others around us.

It is only as we grow older that we learn the world does not in fact revolve around us and that we have to fit into the world in a responsible and positive way. We learn that we can not only do as we wish but also have to think about the rights, feelings and desires of others.

This made me think about the 5 fundamental negotiation approaches and how you can use them to underpin the achievement of your sales negotiation objectives.

1.Competitive negotiation

This is a way of negotiation that is primarily assertive and concerned only with your own needs, desires and goals.

2.Accommodating negotiation

This is a style of negotiation that is primarily concerned only with the needs, desires and objectives of your counterparts whilst ignoring your own needs. Sales training courses often teach this negotiation approach as the most appropriate strategy.

3.Compromising negotiation

Probably the most famous of all negotiation strategies. This is a way of negotiation where you meet your counterpart in the middle. You get some of your needs, wants and objectives met and you do the same for your counterpart.

4.Collaborative negotiation

This is a style of negotiation where you attempt to satisfy all of the needs, desires and targets of your counterparts and they reciprocate.

5.Avoiding negotiation

This is a mode of interaction where you do not regard negotiation as the best way to achieve your targets.

The key factors which will determine which of the above strategies should be in your negotiations is to respond to the following 3 questions:

a.What is the Importance of an ongoing relationship to you?

If the relationship is critical, then you will not be able to be only competitive, you will have to at least compromise with your counterpart. If you do not meet the requirements of your counterparts, then it is not likely that a meaningful relationship will develop.

b.How many alternatives are available to you?

If you have a host of alternatives available, you can afford to be more competitive. Conversely, if you have no alternatives, then you will be forced to be more accommodating.

c.How much time do you have available?

If you have a lot of time available, then you can certainly be more competitive. The less time available to you, the more accommodating you will have to be.

As you can see, it is important to ask yourself these 3 questions before you start negotiating so that you can pick the approach best suited to the situation at hand rather than just following a negotiation strategy based only on your preference.

It is also important to remember that you should be flexible in your approach. You may want to change your strategy as new information becomes available during your negotiations.

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