What are the skills for business negotiation?

In business negotiations, no matter whether it is based on the consideration of winning the largest possible interest space or on the purpose of minimizing the loss of the company, it is inseparable from the use of negotiation skills.

When it comes to negotiation skills, many experts have already read this and have found a lot of relevant content on various web site tutorials. As a professional manager with many years of local practical experience, multinational company experience, multiple jobs, and management of many well-known companies, Shi Guangqi has an interpretation based on his personal experience of negotiation skills. As follows, the World Factory Network Xiaobian shares with you the 12 negotiation skills in the business negotiations he talks about:

1, determine the attitude of negotiation

Faced with various kinds of negotiations in business activities, we cannot treat all negotiations with the same attitude. We need to decide the attitude to be taken when negotiating according to the importance of the object of negotiations and the outcome of the negotiations.

If the negotiating target is very important to the enterprise, such as long-term cooperation with large customers, and the contents and results of the negotiation are not very important to the company, then they can hold a concession attitude to negotiate, that is, there is not much loss and influence in the enterprise. The situation meets each other, so that future cooperation will be more powerful.

If the negotiating object is very important to the enterprise and the outcome of the negotiation is equally important to the enterprise, then it will hold a friendly and cooperative mentality, achieve a win-win situation as far as possible, and transfer the contradictions between the two parties to a third party. For example, if the market area is divided, there will be contradictions. It may be advisable for the two parties to join together or assist each other in developing new markets, expanding the area of ​​the region, and transforming the competing rivalries of negotiation into cooperation.

If the object of negotiation is not important to the enterprise, the outcome of the negotiation is also of no importance to the enterprise. If it is optional, then it can be easily put on the battle. Do not waste too much effort on such negotiations, or even cancel such negotiations.

If the object of negotiation is not important to the enterprise, but the outcome of the negotiation is very important to the enterprise, then it will take an active and competitive attitude to participate in the negotiation, without considering the negotiating adversaries, and fully guided by the best negotiation results.

2, fully understand the opponent

As the saying goes, knowing oneself and knowing oneself is one of the most important things in a business negotiation. The more you know about your opponent, the more you can grasp the initiative of the negotiation, as if we knew in advance the bottom price of the tender, with the lowest natural cost and the highest probability of success. .

When you understand your opponent, you must not only understand each other's negotiating purpose and bottom line, but also understand the operations of the other company, the industry situation, the character of the negotiators, the culture of the other company, the habits of the negotiating opponents, and taboos. In this way, many contradictions in terms of culture and living habits can be avoided, creating additional obstacles to negotiations. There is also a very important factor that needs to be understood and mastered, that is the situation of other competitors. For example, in a procurement negotiation, we, as suppliers, need to understand the situation of other suppliers that may cooperate with the buyers we negotiate, as well as other buyers who may cooperate with ourselves. This can be timely. Given a slightly more favorable cooperation approach than other suppliers, it will be easy to reach an agreement. If the opponent put forward more stringent requirements, we can also take out information from other buyers, let the opponent know that we know the bottom line, and hint that we have many options for cooperation. On the other hand, as a buyer, we can also use the same reverse strategy.

3. Prepare multiple sets of negotiation plans

The two parties negotiating each other's plans are very beneficial to themselves. Both parties hope to gain more benefits through negotiations. Therefore, the outcome of the negotiations will certainly not be the same as the initial proposal of the two parties, but will be passed by both sides. Negotiated, compromised, and modified results.

In the process in which you both push me and pull me, I often lose my initial intention or be led into the wrong zone. The best way to do this is to prepare several sets of negotiating options and come up with the most favorable solutions. No agreement is reached. With regard to the next plan, we have not yet reached an agreement and come up with the same plan again. Even if we do not take the initiative to come up with these plans, we can know for ourselves whether the compromise to the other party has shifted the framework originally set by ourselves. In this way, there will be no careful thinking after the conclusion of the negotiations. It is found that their concessions have exceeded the expected range.

4. Establish a harmonious negotiation atmosphere

At the beginning of the negotiation, it is better to find some places where the two parties have the same views and formulate them, leaving them with a subconscious that is more like a partner. In this way, the next negotiation can easily progress in a direction of consensus, rather than a confrontation. When confronted with stalemate, it is also possible to come up with a consensus on both sides to increase mutual confidence and resolve differences.

You can also provide the other party with some commercial information that is of interest to them, or simply discuss some issues that are not very important. After consensus is reached, wonderful changes will happen in both parties.

5. Set up the restricted area for negotiation

Negotiation is a very sensitive exchange. Therefore, the language should be concise and avoid words that should not be said. However, it is also difficult to avoid mistakes in the long and difficult negotiations. The best way is to set ahead in advance the negotiation. Banned words, which topics are dangerous, which behaviors can not be done, the bottom line of negotiation and so on. In this way, it is possible to avoid falling into the trap or dance set by the other party in the negotiation.

6. Concise language expression

In business negotiations, avoid taboos or loose language, try to make your language as concise as possible. Otherwise, your keywords are likely to be drowned in protracted, meaningless language. A pearl is placed on the ground, we can easily find it, but if you pour a bag of gravel on it, it will be very hard to find the pearl. By the same token, the characteristic that we humans receive foreign sounds or visual information is that, as soon as we start to focus, attention will become more and more dispersed as the information we receive increases. If it is some insensitive information, it will be ignored.

Therefore, when negotiating, the language should be concise, targeted, and strive to make the other party's brain state its information best when it receives information. If it is to express a lot of information, such as contracts, plans, etc. It is appropriate to make high, low, light, and heavy changes in the tone of speech or reading. For example, important places can improve their voices and slow down. They can also intersperse some questions to cause the other person to think actively and increase their attention. Before the important negotiations, we should carry out simulation exercises, expressions of training languages, and response to unexpected problems. Do not ambiguously negotiate in the negotiations. The words of Luo Qi can not only fail to express his intentions effectively, but also make the other party confused and disgusted. It is necessary to clarify one thing here and distinguish clearly between the difference between calm and dragging. The former is a language expression that is slow, but the word is scrutinized, and there is no nonsense. This speed is also helpful for the other party to understand and digest information content. The author is very negotiating. Praise this way of expression. In order to rely on arrogant teeth and aggressive pressure to suppress each other in negotiations, it is often counterproductive and most of the results will not be ideal.

7, make a soft nail

Although business negotiations are no more than political and military negotiations, the nature of negotiations is a kind of game, a kind of confrontation and full of gunpowder flavor. At this time, both parties are very sensitive. If the language is too straightforward or strong, it is easy to cause the other party's instinctive confrontation or resentment. Therefore, when the two sides encounter a disagreement during the business negotiation, they must smile, and the language is euphemistically opposed to the opponent. In this way, the other side will not start instinctive hostility in the mind, making it difficult for the next negotiation to reach a stalemate.

In business negotiations, it is not a matter of procrastination. When a person gains momentum, he will take the initiative. Instead, he is angered and indifferent. Emotions are not guided by the other side, and his mind is not able to be restrained by the way the other person is aware of. The perpetrators are persistent, resulting in fragility for those who are rigid and want to be masters of business negotiations. They must be a soft nail.

8, curve offensive

Sun Tzu said: "They are straight," and General Clausois also said: "The shortest way to reach the goal is the most tortuous road." From this, we can see that if we want to achieve our goal, we must go back. Going directly to the goal will only cause alertness and confrontation.

You should guide the other person’s thoughts into your own envelopment by guiding the other person’s thoughts. For example, by asking questions, let the other party take the initiative to tell you the answer you want to hear. On the contrary, the more eager it is to achieve the goal, the more likely it is to expose its own intentions and be used by the other party.

9, negotiation is to win with the ears, not the mouth

In the negotiation, we are often prone to fall into a misunderstanding. It is a kind of thinking consciousness that takes the initiative to attack. We always keep saying that we always want to press down on each other's words. We always want to instill some of our own thoughts. We think that this can be done. It is not true that you take the initiative to negotiate. In such a competitive environment, the more words you say, the more exclusive the other party will be, the less you can have, and the less you will be able to get into your heart. Moreover, if you have more words, you will occupy the total. At the time of the conversation, the other person also had an utterance to say, and the result of being suppressed was difficult to compromise or reach an agreement. Conversely, let the other party say what they want to say, and when it speaks out of the repressed heart, it will resemble a deflated ball, and the spirit will subside. Then you counterattack, and the opponent has no stroke afterwards. . More crucially, being good at listening can discover the other party's true intentions or even flaws from the other party's discourse.

10. Control the situation of negotiations

There is no moderator on the surface of the negotiations, but in reality there is an invisible moderator, not you or your opponent. Therefore, we must actively strive to grasp the rhythm, direction, and even trends of the negotiations. The traits that the presenter should possess are: Although there are not many languages, but the recruits and recruits are critical, and the momentum is not instinct, but they are struggling and calm. Instead of using language to push opponents to the edge of the cliff, they use language to match opponents. Lead to the edge of the cliff. Also, wanting to be the host of the negotiating table is to demonstrate your fairness, that is, to face the problem objectively, especially at the beginning of the negotiation. Slowly, the opponent will instinctively be led by you and the situation will be directed to you. The favorable side is inclined.

11. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Song state owned a master who raised monkeys. He raised a large group of monkeys. He could understand the thoughts expressed by the monkeys, and the monkeys also understood his heart. This person's family is getting poorer and he can't afford so many foods for monkeys to eat. Therefore, he intends to reduce the number of acorns eaten by monkeys at every meal. However, he fears that the monkeys are not obedient to themselves and they first deceived the monkeys and said, "Give it to you in the morning. Did the three acorns eat four acorns in the evening?” The monkey yelled loudly as an objection. After a while, he said: "Oh, no way. In the morning I will give you four acorns and three acorns in the evening. Should I eat enough?" The monkeys were all dancing and happy.

Everyone should be very familiar with this little story. It is an allusion to the idiom “Falun Gong”. This story may seem ridiculous. In fact, in the negotiations, there is a true "three-fours" phenomenon. Usually reflected in the deadlock between the two sides on an important issue, the party stepped back and dished out other small profits as compensation to break the deadlock and use small profits in exchange for profits, or to replace the entire program in order to blind us Thinking. It sounds unbelievable, but it often happens in actual negotiations. Therefore, first of all, we must be able to jump out of the trap of thinking like brain teasers. Then we must be good at Shi Xiaoli, and we must learn to retreat. One of the biggest issues in negotiation is to learn timely concessions. Only in this way can the negotiations be conducted smoothly. After all, the outcome of the negotiations is a win-win situation.

12, concession offensive

In the negotiation, one or two very high demands can be made in due course, and the other party cannot necessarily agree. We can make concessions after experiencing some bargaining and reduce the demand or change to other requirements. These high demands we did not intend to reach an agreement, even if there is no loss of concessions, but it can make the other party have a sense of accomplishment, feel that they have occupied the cheap. At this time, our other requirements that are lower than this high demand are easily accepted by the other party, but we must not ask too ridiculous and excessive demands. Otherwise, the other party may feel that we are not sincere and even angered each other.

Giving high demands first can also effectively reduce the opponent’s expectations for negotiating interests and dampen the opponent’s vigor.

In fact, the key to negotiation is how to reach a balance between the negotiating parties. The time for reaching an agreement is when both sides reach a balance point. That is to say, they have achieved satisfactory or basically satisfactory results in the negotiations. Such satisfaction includes the expected achievement, the benefits they have obtained, the concessions of the negotiating opponents, their own initiative, and the atmosphere of negotiation when negotiating, sometimes negotiating. This balance and interest relationship in China is not large. Therefore, the author advocates that negotiations can be lost as long as the interests are won. That is, to make concessions on the surface, to lose some of the benefits, to give the opponent a sense of siege to the city, but in fact it is sprinkled over the sesame seeds to let opponents laugh, to steal their opponent's watermelon.