Business Meltdown: How To Use Your Negotiation Skills To Guarantee Your Security

One can see a great deal of insecurity in the world financial markets wherever you go - for the first time - regardless of geographical location.

Warren Buffet said that it is only when the tide goes out that one can see who is wearing no swimsuit. In other words, it is easy to be thriving when the markets are thriving; it is only in tough times that we can easily discern quality & commitment.

How can you use your negotiation skills, negotiation training or purchasing training to sidestep losses in the current economic climate?

Use 'Loss Framing'

We are more motivated by avoiding loss than by attaining the very same gain. Kahneman & Tversky's Prospect Theory work describes how individuals will become risk seeking when trying to avoid a loss whilst they are more likely to be risk averse when pursuing rewards. In the way that we negotiate, we can make our counterparties aware of the unique items that they stand to lose if they don't move in our direction and otherwise acquire if they do.

Create Alternatives

In times of uncertainty it is very important to create alternatives so as to support our negotiation position. The ability to create options is vital in the context of negotiation and the power of alternatives to concluding a deal is the primary driver of our negotiation power.

Usually we wait until we know that we are not going to be able to do a transaction before we begin to think about alternatives. We risk entering into a less than ideal transaction and if we have not explored all the alternatives. Similarly, thinking about the alternatives available to your counterparty in the negotiation will give you a clear understanding of their relative position of strength in the negotiation. If they have good options available then they will be more aggressive and if they don't, they will tend to be more agreeable.

Use Reciprocation

Reciprocation is one of the key principles of powerful persuasion skills, because we are prone to return to others the form of behaviour that they demonstrate towards us. In times of economic uncertainty it is key that we perform in the interests of the other side if we would like them to perform in ours. Use this principle to your benefit by acting first and invoking the principle of reciprocation. One note of caution and ensure that you record the obligation with your counterparty.

Move from price to value

It is important to take the focus off price and concentrate on the Total Cost of Ownership. For all services, products and solutions that we buy or sell, there is always an exchange between value & price. If we only engage on the price, the best that we will do is to barter and it is only once we start to study the entire lifecycle of the service, product or solution that we trade, that we begin to uncover options for negotiation. Before you state price in negotiation, examine your counterparty's long term strategic fit, expertise, switching costs should they wish to change a business partner, financial steadiness and potential risks or negative consequences that may happen when your counterparty doesn't reach an agreement with you.

Don't forget that the magic in negotiation is found in the quality of your preparation. In times of economic uncertainty it is key to commit enough time to preparing for your negotiations.

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