What does Negotiation Look Like

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When I was younger (although I’m still quite young J), one of my favourite activity besides riding a motorbike is mountain hiking. Even though I’m not an expert, I enjoy it tremendously – especially that moment when you reach the top – that breathtaking view and fresh air! It is a rarity for me, something I do not get to enjoy every day as a consequence of living in a big city.  I’ve hiked both small and big mountains and some of my favourites are Bromo, Panderman and Ijen to name of few.

Hiking is quite a dangerous sport and an activity that you can’t just do impromptu. It requires detailed planning – studying the weather, preparing the right equipment & attire, food supplies, assess the route we would take etc. Before each hike, my colleagues and I would spend at least a couple of days to a week preparing to ensure we get it right, check and re-check that we have not left any scenario unprepared for. The bigger the mountain, the more preparation time required.

Now that I am a Negotiation Consultant, helping organisations and their people to negotiate better, I can relate how negotiation is like hiking a mountain. One common mistake I see in Negotiation is not being prepared. Most don’t understand what they should do when they are negotiating, most either persuade the other party to accept their opinion/offer or they haggle. This is not how negotiation should be done.

Before going in for a negotiation, we need to have sufficient preparation. During preparation, we should define what is our objective, what are specific issues we want to negotiate, what is our intent and at what point do we walk away from the negotiation. What strategy should we use in our negotiation is also a key factor. The bigger the deal is, the more we need to prepare. If you fail to prepare, you are setting yourself up for failure. That’s why it is extremely important to PREPARE before any negotiation, big or small. 

Once you have enough preparation, should you go ahead to negotiate? Just like hiking, we need to stop at the first post. At this point, start to exchange information with the other party/parties, test your assumption, structure your expectations and test if your objectives are realistic or not. Having enough information at this point will make it easier for you to move forward. This will also enable you to make a proposal that will address the issue for both parties and move the deal closer in your favour


How Does your negotiation look like?




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