Preparation, practice, persistence pay off in negotiations

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Dear Professor Bruce:Q: I am a small business owner in a service business. I feel that when I am dealing with my clients and my vendors I am at a disadvantage because I have never had any formal training in how to negotiate. Can you give me a few tips that will help me become a better negotiator?A: According to Lee E. Miller, an influencing and negotiating trainer and author of UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective, everyone can become a good negotiator with a little training and practice.Everything starts with preparation.Begin by determining exactly what you want to get out of a negotiation. What is most important to you -- a low price, high quality or fast delivery? Research the market. What are others getting for providing similar services? What is standard in terms of quality and delivery time, and what can you ask a premium for. Then find out everything you can about the people you are dealing with.Try to spend time with those people. Find out about what is important to them. People will pay for the things they care about and you can save money by not including things they either can readily do for themselves or don't value.Practice will also improve your negotiating skills. The more you negotiate the easier it becomes. The ability to read the other party is critical and develops the more you practice.For most people, though, it's important not only to know exactly what you want during a negotiation but also to be creative in thinking of alternatives. Always ask yourself what your other options are and don't go into a negotiation without having thought about it. It's also important to try to determine the other side's goals and look for ways to create value for everyone.Miller counsels negotiators to employ the "U Perspective." Rather than approaching a negotiation as convincing the other side that you're right and they're wrong, it's a whole lot easier to convince them that what you're suggesting is something they care about and want.Patience and persistence will pay off when you negotiate. Sometimes you wonder how many times you have to ask for something. If it is important, you have to keep asking, although sometimes in different ways, until you get it. When you don't get what you want, you have to be willing to walk away.For further information, visit www.NegotiationPlus.com.(Bruce Freeman is president of ProLine Communications, a marketing and public relations firm in Livingston, N.J. E-mail him at Bruce(at)SmallBusinessProf.com.)