Negotiating Tips April 13, 2012

Both Win - A Better Deal for Both Parties

The best negotiators are Super-Winners. At the Super-Winner level, every negotiation ends with a better deal for both parties. Super-Winner negotiators find a deal that is better than either side ever dreamed- and one that didn’t seem possible when both sides first met.

It isn’t as hard as it sounds. We all can do it.

The road to becoming a Super-Winner begins when you recognize that negotiation is not a contest. Unfortunately, most people see negotiation as a battle.

They believe that if there is a 10-inch pie cut into ten pieces, the winner is the one who gets six or more pieces. They see it as a process in which one person gains at the expense of the other- a zero-sum game. This naturally makes them tense and often leads to deadlock.

A Super-Winner in negotiation knows that elements of competition are built into every bargaining situation. However, the Super-Winner also recognizes that both parties win more when they search together for innovative ways to create value that they can share between them.

The next time you’re in a negotiation, remember, it’s not a battle. And to be a Super-Winner- look for how both sides can get even more than they imagined possible.