Clare Dignall - Negotiation Skills in 7 simple steps

Read their publications:Most company websites will hold newsletters, annual reports, and staff magazines in pdf form. Annual reports provide financial information that can reveal, for example, any debts, expansion plans, and the company’s financial targets for the year. If you know they’re in debt, for example, this could put you into the driving seat of negotiations, as you know they’ll be keen to work quickly to save money. If, on the other hand, you’re being interviewed for a job and plan to negotiate your starting salary upwards, then quoting their staff magazine on how crucial recruitment is to the health of the company may also make them sit up and take notice.

Talk to their customers:Whether a big corporate or a one-man band, most companies are proud to list important clients on their website. Do you know anyone listed there? Can they tell you about their experiences of working with the person or company you’re interested in? Take some time to catch up with these contacts. If it feels appropriate, they might be willing to provide insights into their own negotiations with the company you’re dealing with, or mention any customer service shortfalls they’ve experienced.

Profile the people:Whether it’s one person or a whole team, you now have an idea of their career path, likes, dislikes, common contacts, and any shared interests. By digesting their LinkedIn ®profile (especially their recommendations) you may also build up a picture of their workplace strengths and style. Facebook and others may reveal glimpses of temperament and person-ality. It’s good to know in advance if you’re coming to table with a tough negotiator, and equally useful to know if your opposite number is inexperienced, which can make for both easy, or unpredictable, negotiations.

Profile the company:Look for common company objectives that could provide potential for joint gains. Perhaps they aspire to becoming more ‘green’ and your cleaning service uses eco-detergents and recycling as standard? Perhaps they plan to gain more local clients to cut back on travel costs, and you’re slap bang in their neighbourhood. What are their published service standards compared to what customers tell you? Explaining that you’re aware of a shortfall could give you valuable negotiation leverage.

Establishing a preliminary relationship before negotiating may instil a glimmer of mutual trust. Email to arrange negotiations dates, venues and teams. Vary your contact – if they’re coming to you, email to confirm arrangements, then make a friendly call later to check if they’ve additional needs on the day, like a flipchart or veggie sandwiches. Keeping contact regular and approachable makes the prospect of meeting at the negotiation table much less daunting.

Know your team

While many of your negotiating experiences will be one to one, there may be times when you feel it’s better to bring helpers to the table with you. But when?

To represent the interests of many:Where the welfare of many is at stake, e.g. in neighbourhoods, local councils, retail, construction, call-centres and factories, a team of individuals who each represent a constituent group can better reflect their diverse needs.

When you need to think differently:Where negotiations are complex, where there seems no way of reaching a mutually beneficial result, or if a one-to-one negotiation has already broken down, it’s time to bring in the collective imagination of a team.

To show that this is important:Turning up in number is a concise way of saying this is important to you. For example, a team would underline the depth of community feeling if fielded against a construction company surveying parkland. However, turning up mob-handed on your neighbour’s doorstep to discuss his hedge, or arriving to talk pay with your boss flanked by colleagues, will look aggressive. If it’s important only to you, then it’s usual that only you should turn up.

If you plan to field a team in negotiations, it’s crucial that your own people don’t throw you any curve balls – there will be enough surprises coming from your opposite party. Consider the following steps when selecting your negotiating team.

1 Choose members wisely:If you’re negotiating in a particular field, you may want a specialist in that topic on your team to advise. If you have to talk money and pricing, you’ll want someone who’s good – and fast – with numbers. If possible, don’t include anyone, no matter how close you are, who you suspect may be a weak link. If they’re being pressed upon you by your boss, ensure that person understands that, during the negotiation, it’s the lead negotiator who’s in charge, not the boss.

2 Ensure they understand the issues, and each other:Before going into negotiations as a team, it’s imperative that your team know why you want to negotiate, that they understand how you came to this decision (and support it), and that they know each other really well. You don’t want an unpredictable member of your team suddenly asking you, in front of the opposite party, to clarify why negotiations are needed.

3 Have a proper discussion:Make time with your fledgling team to brainstorm the issues you want to air during negotiations, including the ‘what we want’ and ‘what we can give’ options. Agree both on what information you are willing to share with the opposing party, and what you must not mention in front of them.

The next step in creating an effective team is to assign its members with discrete roles. Although specialisms are important, you’re not just looking for professional or technical skills, but personality traits too. Maybe you know someone who is unflappable in a crisis, or a people-person who makes others feel at ease. Experience is crucial too; a tough-nut negotiator who has been through this before is a great asset – if you know of one!

Your team may include as few as two of the following roles, or it may include all of them and more.

Lead negotiator: This spokesperson for the team makes the tough decisions and does most of the talking, as well as organizing and motivating the team.

A note-taker: Someone needs to impartially record the key agreements being made. There need only be one ‘scribe’ in a negotiation, so it’s good to agree early which party will provide one.

An observer: For big negotiations, there can be merit in having someone who can watch for signs of anxiety or resentment in the other party, and can share these insights in breaks or between meetings.

A numbers person: If you’re negotiating about buying, selling, or pay, for example, you may need someone who has a head for numbers, spreadsheets and forecasting.

An expert adviser: If you’re negotiating about one aspect in a specialist field, e.g. conservation, you may want someone who can bring expert insight to your strategy and who can answer complex questions with authority.

Ensure that your people know that they can’t make proposals or counter offers over the lead negotiator, unless it’s been discussed in advance. Also, if the lead doesn’t have the power of ‘sign-off’, then you should make it clear from the outset that any agreements reached will have to be passed by the person who does have the authority. Being vague about this could irritate the other party and cause delay.