Complex negotiations are made simple if, and only if, you understand your needs [see photo]. Today many people get lost in the negotiation process because they focus on the other parties wants. However it is imperative that you first become intimately acquainted with your own needs.
To explain what I mean I offer this simple example. If you know the true value of your needs when negotiating a good deal on a car then you will do the following. First... understand that there is price point below which the dealer will not go. Once you have found that critical point then price is effectively off the table. Remember that price is only relevant in the short-term. Second... use a higher price to build-in such things as "goodwill" and "after-sales" service. Note... if a dealer feels you screwed him or her to the limit on price then there is little or no "goodwill" left to flow over into future negotiations on "after-sales" services.
It is too easy to negotiate a low price deal but the truth is that it is rarely of lasting value to you. Sure your ego might spike and you might dine-out on the story of your great skills; but, karma can be a bitch. About now you may think I am talking about a "win- win" negotiation strategy wherein both sides get the best deal they can. But you are wrong. I do not believe in win-win negotiations because that limits you to a tactical or short-term approach to all the issues involved in negotiations. I believe in doing deals that have a long-term perspective to them and that build trust in ways which enable repeat business. However the problem with this approach is that most negotiators do not truly know what they need. If you ever do come to understand what you truly need you will spend most of the time in any negotiation process ensuring that the other side gets what he or she [they or them] truly wants.
For any one of you who is interested in more about this approach to negotiation you can read a Kindle version of my book "Learning to love Albert" for free. You can access this offer if and only if you go to https://www.amazon.in/Learning-love-Albert-negotiate-narrative-ebook/dp/B00EAH0DCE
Richard.
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