10 Common Negotiation Mistakes
Pitfalls to Avoid When Sealing a Deal
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Don't assume something's non-negotiable.
All successful managers need to negotiate, whether it's to hammer out the terms of a contract, to gain people's agreement in a meeting, or to agree deadlines with team members.
You will struggle in your career if you can't negotiate effectively. For example, you might lose business or the respect of your team members. Or, you might fail to solve problems that better negotiators can breeze through.
In this article, we look at 10 common negotiation mistakes – in no particular order – and discuss how you can avoid them.
Note:
Check out our negotiation articles to understand more about how to hone your skills. There are a range of approaches, such as Distributive Bargaining, Integrative Negotiating and Win-Win Negotiation, and other useful tools, like the Conflict Layer Model and Lewicki and Hiam’s Negotiation Matrix, can help you negotiate more effectively.
Mistake 1: Failing to Prepare
Even if you have a clear idea about what you want from a negotiation, you still need to prepare and rehearse your arguments carefully.
When you prepare, you feel more confident, which is important in any negotiation. If you can demonstrate your knowledge of the subject in question, the other party will take you seriously. And you'll be less likely to forget something if you're fully prepared – it's important to include everything in your negotiation as it's extremely difficult to get new demands accepted after the negotiation has taken place.
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