What is negotiation? Negotiation means the ability to talk in bilateral or multilateral discussions in order to find a way for a common goal or several goals. Everyone is negotiating during the day. Negotiation does not only mean that you must have a product or commodity and want to talk to others to sell it.

In general, during the day, you are negotiating with different people, such as with your wife, children, family, friends, at work with colleagues or even with the supermarket salesman, etc. When you intend to sell or buy a house, you are negotiating with the property owner or buyer. For example, the questions you ask the seller to buy the house you want; including the size of the house, heating and cooling devices, the presence of parking and elevators, the number of floors, etc. is You are constantly trying to be able to finish the negotiation in the best possible way in your favor.

Always be ready to negotiate

sometimes to negotiate; You don’t have time to think about what to say and what to do. For example, your phone rings and you receive a good offer such as your favorite job or selling a product. It means that you were not ready for negotiation in advance and you did not prepare yourself for dialogue and negotiation. In such cases, if you are a professional negotiator, you can decide in a moment how your talks will benefit you and consider all aspects.

What are the principles of successful negotiation?

But the times when you already know that you have to negotiate or give you the necessary time to think, you use this time to do some important things.

1- The fact that you prioritize your goals and plans according to your motivations and negotiate and behave accordingly.

2- In order to end the negotiation in your favor, try to consider all aspects. Don’t make emotional and quick decisions and think about all the options and solutions you are considering, even if you think they seem stupid. Sometimes one good idea And right out of several seemingly illogical and incorrect ideas, it comes to your mind.

3- Prepare your first and most correct offer. In order to be successful in the negotiation, you must convey your request and proposal very clearly and clearly to your counterpart who is on the other side of the negotiation. Of course, it is better not to take a stand and be firm but flexible to achieve the goal you are aiming for.

Acquisition and development of negotiation skills

Negotiation is acquisition. In order to become a professional negotiator, you must Skill acquisition and development negotiation. That is, by practicing, repeating and also getting the necessary training, you can become a professional negotiator and learn negotiation skills easily.

To acquire negotiation skills, the first and most important step is experience; The most important factor that can have a tremendous impact on the outcome of each person’s negotiations. If you want to learn good negotiation skills properly; Try to take a trusted person with you several times when you go to the negotiating table and ask him to record all the positive and negative points of the work and conversations you do during the entire meeting and tell you at the end of the meeting. In this way, you can know your positive and negative points better and try and practice to improve them.

Be your starter

A traditional and wrong thought among negotiators is that if you initiate the negotiation, you might lose. According to the research done, it is not written anywhere that if you are the initiator of the negotiation, it has a negative effect on the negotiation. In the opinion of many people who are professional negotiators, the initiator of the negotiation will usually be useful and effective.

 Of course, you should pay attention to how to start the negotiation and how to express your wishes. It is not recommended that you be the initiator when the other side of the negotiation has more and better information than you. It is better that he starts first so that you can make the right decision.

Necessary rules for negotiation starters

In order to be the initiator of the negotiation, the first offer you present should act as a solid foundation and pillar. Usually, the initial offer is not accepted in the negotiation. They comment a little on those actions and make some corrections. Many negotiators are of the opinion that if they make the initial offer in the negotiation and are the initiator, it will happen to them as the winner’s curse. 

In such a way that sometimes when you make the first offer, the other party accepts and accepts without any conditions and you think about it until the end of the negotiation, whether you made a bad offer or it would have been better if you made a better offer. For this reason, when you want to initiate negotiations, you must first consider all aspects and all situations well so that you do not regret the offer you have made later.

Negotiating behavior

A good negotiator should know two types of behavior very well. It means to have both a competitive mode and interaction-based, complete familiarity. Many people think that when they want to sit down at the negotiating table, they should act very formal and dry, because then the other party thinks that you don’t understand many things and they put their hat on you.

This way of thinking is very unprincipled and incorrect. Always try to be your true self at the negotiating table; Do the right thing and don’t just consider your own interests. Pay attention to the fact that both of you have benefited from the end of the negotiation and the end of its result, then you are always successful. Create a sense of trust and love in your other party to achieve a good negotiation. Sometimes you are sitting at the negotiation table which is very sensitive and vital. In these situations, you can use both competitive and interactive behavior.

Common mistakes in negotiation

The first mistake in negotiation is that many people think that negotiation is a special job and they should behave differently from themselves in different places, but this is not the case. Negotiation is negotiation whether you are the head of a company or the mother and father of a family and you want to talk to your child about an issue.

Negotiation is knowledge. Once you learn it well, you can use the skill you have acquired at any time and in front of whoever is on the other side of your negotiation.

The importance of credibility and trust

Money is often not the only issue in business negotiations. Everyone from businessmen, bosses, athletes and even parents are looking to maximize their benefits. It should be noted that everyone’s benefit is not limited to money. The benefit of each person is in the amount of satisfaction he gets at the negotiating table. 

For example, when I am a seller of goods and I want to sell my goods or products, I must pay attention to what goods I offer to the other party that they can use for a long time, and if they want to buy goods again, they will refer to us again and we will be reliable for them. 

So money is not only important in negotiation, but the credibility and trust that your client or other party gives you at the negotiating table, you will remain in their minds for years as the best, which is worth more than the money and profit you have earned at the negotiating table.

What is the purpose of learning to negotiate?

As we said, negotiation does not mean that you must be the head of a company, or that you sit at the negotiating table with your employees, or with competitors, etc. During the day, no matter what job or position you have, a taxi driver is always negotiating with his passengers, a teacher with his students, and a housewife with her children. Therefore, it is better to learn the way and method of negotiation correctly so that both sides benefit and even teach this skill to their future generations.

Conclusion

In the field of digital marketing, negotiation is not limited to sales meetings; rather, it plays a vital role across various aspects of the industry—from negotiating with influencers for promotional collaborations to effectively engaging with clients to develop and implement marketing strategies.

For instance, at Gelavizh, one of our team’s core strengths lies in accurately understanding client needs and engaging in professional negotiations to deliver the most effective digital marketing solutions tailored to each business.

With extensive expertise in digital marketing, Gelavizh offers a comprehensive range of services including social media management, advertising campaign design, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing and business coaching. All services are delivered based on effective client communication, principled negotiation, and in-depth market behavior analysis.

(taken from the book of negotiation)

 Author: League Nampson

 Translators: Mohammadreza Shabanali, Arash Qobaei

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is negotiation?

Negotiation is a discussion in which two or more parties attempt to reach an agreement through bargaining.

2. What is the first rule of negotiation?

The first Golden Rule is essential to success in any negotiation: Information Is Power—So Get It! It’s critical to ask questions and get as much relevant information as you can throughout the negotiation process. You need sufficient information to set aggressive, realistic goals and to evaluate the other side’s goals.

3. What is a good negotiation strategy?

Thorough preparation is crucial for successful negotiation. Before entering a negotiation, leaders should gather relevant information, identify their priorities, and establish clear objectives. By doing so, they can better understand the dynamics at play and make more informed decisions during the negotiation process.

4. How do you negotiate with difficult people?

Ask “why” questions to elicit the opponent’s interests. If they resist, ask them “why not” questions about alternative solutions. “What if” questions introduce new options without directly challenging the opponent’s position. Position-based negotiating tactics can be handled by ignoring them, or by reformulating them.

5. What is the best method to negotiate?

Top 10 Negotiation Skills
Absorb these integrative negotiation skills to improve your outcomes.

• Analyze and cultivate your BATNA
• Negotiate the process
• Build rapport
• Listen actively
• Ask good questions
• Search for smart tradeoffs
• Be aware of the anchoring bias
• Present multiple equivalent offers simultaneously (MESOs)