Improve Your Negotiation Skills as Early as Now

Negotiation is an essential skill that is often underrated. Most people think that only business persons or those who are in sales should possess this ability. Quite the contrary, we can benefit from this skill even in our daily lives. It is not limited to career advancement. Trust us, even your personal life will be better if you know how to do it right. Think about negotiating with your kids or with your partner. You just don’t realize it now, but we need it every single day.

Simply put, learning to be an expert in negotiation means you are setting yourself for a better future. 

Where Can You Use Negotiation Skills? 

Still not convinced that you need to work on your negotiation skills? Below are some of the situations where you can use it to your advantage. 

• Closing a deal 
• Getting supplies for lower costs 
• Getting a better pay 
• Having a higher job role 
• Extending work deadline 
• Exchanging schedules with colleagues 
• Amending business proposals 

And again, you can use it every day. Say, you want to get the better side of your dorm room. At first, your roommate will hesitate. But if you are good with negotiation, then you might just get what you want – without, of course, leaving your roommate at the losing end. Perhaps, you want to get a particular car, but your partner does not understand your reasons. If you have excellent negotiation skills, you can plot the benefits and get a higher chance of approval. The same goes if you have kids and they want to buy expensive toys. Instead of giving in, you can suggest cheaper options but will give them a similar experience. You get the picture? 

How to Improve Negotiation Skills 

If you believe you have to brush your negotiation skills, we got you covered. We will share with you some practical tips on how you can gradually improve.

Figure Out What You Want 

Before even getting into a negotiation, it is a must that you know exactly what you want. Set boundaries and evaluate things that you are willing to sacrifice. Do not think of negotiation as a one-way process, or that you need to get the bigger piece of the cake. As much as possible, aim for a win-win solution. 

Do Your Research and Practice Empathy 

Apart from knowing what you want, it is imperative that you understand what the other party wants as well. The only way you can learn that is by doing research. 

For business, of course, you can always probe, get data, and conduct studies. But if you want to practice your negotiation skills on a personal level, having open lines of communication is the key. 

You must also know how to empathize. You see, some people are naturally not vocal about what they want. And so you need to place yourself in their shoes so you can at least gauge what solution might work for them.   

Be Assertive  

There’s no room for being aggressive. Likewise, you can never be passive if you want to negotiate. It is important that you have strong interpersonal skills, and that you can articulate your solutions. This way, you and the other party will be on the same page. Plus, both will be able to understand the ‘what’s in it for me’, making it easier to close deals.

When presenting, don’t forget to always ask what they feel or what they think about your proposal. This is a great technique so you can also gauge if they are up for negotiation or you are just wasting your time.  

Know When to Back Down 

There are times that a person is too tough, or perhaps they are not ready to make a negotiation right away. You must respect that. Either you back down or create a proposal that will address their concerns. Make sure to list down notes as well. 

Do not expect that change will happen overnight or that you will get it right the first time. It is normal to fail at the onset. But don’t give up. Instead, give it time and start forming a habit. Sooner or later, you would be surprised that your negotiation skills have improved and that you start getting what you want. 

And yes, you can thank us later.