We all have to negotiate on a regular basis in our daily life, the ability to negotiate is a skill which everyone needs to be adept in order to succeed.
The cool thing about negotiating is that it is a skill that can be quite fun to learn, it is critically important, and should always be taken seriously.
Negotiation is a valuable skill because it can give you an advantage in life, but like any skill of value, you must practice in order to excel at it.
The central thing to remember about negotiation is that anything under the sun which is valuable is owned by someone. If you want to own what the person has, or a portion of it, you must give them a good reason to give it to you.
The art of getting this object, no matter what it is, is the art of negotiation. One way to become skilled with negotiation is to learn how someone achieved something that you want.
By following in their footsteps, it is logical that you can achieve the same thing. When you negotiate with people, it is always crucial to only deal with people who can get you where you want to be.
Also, it is always important to be willing to walk away from a deal when you cannot get what you want. Being able to walk away conveys a message of power; it shows others that you can find someone else. It also convey the message that you are not willing to give them everything they want.
Time, Power, and Knowledge
Time is a critical factor in the art of negotiation. One thing that you must always keep in mind is that when two parties negotiate, the side which is most anxious, impatient, and has the least amount of time is the side that will often get the lesser end of the bargain.
Power is important because by judging how powerful the other side is, you can negotiate in a manner which will allow you to have the advantage. The concept of knowledge is one that needs no introduction.
When one side has information that the other side does not have, information which is critical to the process of negotiation, then the side that has the most information is the side which will get what they want.
Gaining an edge in knowledge is tricky, because it requires you to judge the knowledge deficiency of the other individual. If you are not able to determine what the other side knows, then you will not be capable of using knowledge to your advantage, since any knowledge which you already have may be available to the other side.
Another type of negotiating advantage which is very similar to knowledge is that of being an expert.
When you are an expert in a particular field, a field which the other side is not proficient in, then you can use your expertise in this field as an advantage in the negotiation process.
The best example of this skill at work is when someone hires an expert that they need, but whose skill is not know to them.
In a situation like this, the expert can use the knowledge of their field to gain an advantage in the negotiation process.
However, no matter what you do, it is always important to make sure the other party never sees how you use your expertise, because once they learn how you operate, they can discard you like used toilet paper once they no longer need you.
While charisma is another skill which can allow you to become a better negotiator, it is one of those skills that comes naturally, and is hard to develop.
The Usage of Coercion
Coercion is a bad idea and goes against the basic principle of negotiation. Most people frown on the use of force or intimidation to get what one wants. You must never intimidate others in order to achieve what you want. If you make an attempt to coerce someone, and you fail, you will suddenly lose your position in the negotiation process, and will be seen as being weak.
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