How to Win Negotiation

Like it or not, you will have to face negotiations in life – especially in business world.

You deal for leases; You deal for contracts; You deal for fixtures; You negotiate with your partners; You deal with your suppliers; You haggle with your customers; And many more. In other words, in any breath you take doing your business, you always face negotiations.

How to win negotiation

1. Please keep in mind that negotiation is not a who’s winning and who’s losing game – it is a win-win game. To win negotiation, you have to prepare to lower your standard and initial position.
2. In any negotiation process, don’t be the one offering the final deal – let your ‘rival’ offer his final deal, and you decide whether you accept the deal or not.
3. Don’t sell yourself too cheap – easily lower your initial offer will make your ‘rival’ think that something you propose is not that valuable anyway.
4. Learn the art of knowing when is the right time to fight or schmooze your ‘rival’
5. Consider forming a negotiation team or having a third party aiding you in negotiation – lawyers, brokers, etc.
6. Always have an exit strategy, so when things get unfavourable and too hot to handle, you can bail yourself out of the dogfight to safety.

Final advice, do a lot of negotiations – nothing better than first-hand experience.

Ivan Widjaya
Dogfighter