Bargaining for Advantage

Everyday Negotiations

Negotiating is a part of daily life. Yet, this basic building block of communication can still cause great anxiety and drive people to seek simplistic, suboptimal solutions. To be a successful negotiator, you must confront your fears and realize that every negotiation is unique. Once you understand the psychology behind the process, you can embrace new approaches to bargaining.

Negotiating is a process of resolving disagreements and attaining goals. It relies upon reciprocity. Negotiations usually follow this sequence: preparation for the meeting, exchange of views, presentation of proposals and counterproposals, agreement and finally commitment. However, before you begin any of these steps, make sure that you have the correct attitude and approach. The six “foundations” of good negotiation are:

1. Know Yourself

Recognize your personal negotiating style. If you are easy-going, you will not turn into a hard-nosed negotiator just because you start to bargain. Although more competitive people thrive on bargaining, fairness and reason also hold pivotal places at the negotiating table. Based on your personality, you will respond to negotiation...