Leveraging Your Power In Negotiations

Negotiations are partly about using leverage to get a better deal while you are looking to get into an agreement with someone. In order to persuade someone to come to the table with you, they must be convinced that it is your power to give them what they want. The sooner you recognize that, you can then leverage that to get something the other person has or so it goes.

This sequence of events is present in virtually all aspects of life. Whether we know it or not, we are constantly negotiating with someone over something. It could be for something we have and something the other person wants or vice versa. Regardless, power is always at stake during negotiations. It is up to you to tap into that power so that you can get a better deal while you are negotiating.

Below is an exploration into what you need to do in order to full maximize your power. It also highlights the different types of people you will be negotiating with and how you can maneuver them to your point of view. At the core of it, persuasion is at the core of all negotiation.

The Essence of Intelligence-gathering During Negotiations As A Power Tool

In order to maximize the effect of your actions to get better results during negotiations, it is important to first know who you are dealing with. Most people make the assumption that they can read people right on the spot. They assume that they can get them to see their view points with easy because they are good negotiators. It is only later that they realize their mistakes for not doing thorough due diligence on the people they are dealing with.

This is often the case with newbies at the negotiating table. When your business and livelihood are at stake, you will have to pull out all the stops to ensure that this skill is mastered. The first part, as was reiterated above, was recognizing that you have power. After all, that is why the person you dealing with wants, right?

Just as you have power, so does the other person. At least, they think they do. For this reason, knowing the kind of person you are dealing with will help you gain more insight into how they work. By knowing how they work at the negotiating table, you can craft strategies to bring them more to your side. Before you undertake any negotiation with any party, you need to do your own recon about the person.

Gathering intelligence about a person’s style of negotiation, how they speak and their general style of negotiation must be done to make your negotiations more forceful. However, the idea of collecting so much data might be very intimidating. Do not be intimidated! There are basically two types of negotiators, namely those that are led and those who lead.

These two categories are further broken down into four subcategories: hard/closed, hard/open, easy/closed and easy/open. These subcategories will be explored in more detail further below.

Lead-Types Vs. Led-Types

Lead-types are negotiators that love to take control during the entire negotiation process. The love feeling as they are running the show and may at times bully the other parties to their point of view while being resistant to others. In the Lead-types, they are hard/closed and hard/open.

Hard/Closed

Imagine an individual who is very tough to talk-to. He or she does talks a lot, is very combative and does everything in their power to unsettle you as you negotiate. We find these types in many places where the stakes are both high and low. With these types, they assume that they must win and you must lose. While dealing with them, you will have to work tirelessly to get your way and they will always leave you with a cloud of doubt threatening to renege on their word.

It is very easy to assume that this is their natural stance. With some, it could and with others, it could be a way of testing your resolve. One rule of negotiations is to always master your emotions. Even when these individuals set out very unfair terms and conditions, you must not give away any emotion. In fact, you must stand your ground, responding with equal toughness and grit. For every demand he makes, you make a more startling demand. Be bold while dealing with this type. All the while, ensure that you observe them keenly to find out whether or not this is a front or his preferred style of dealing with things. Once you have established the reality with this type, make your true position known and get down to business.

Hard/Open

This type of individual might not be as aggressive and as audacious as the first type, but they are close. They are rather silent and will only concede if you only play the game according to their rules. For you to be successful while dealing with this type, you need to adopt a similar strategy to the one highlighted for the hard/open types. Play your cards close to your chest and observe them as they play theirs. One point of departure, though, is to make a little concessions to them as they make their own. This should tell you whether or not the individuals are amenable or not and how best to proceed.

Easy/Closed

In a nutshell, easy/closed types are amenable to some degree. For you to fully get the concessions you need, you must be a little bit aggressive with them. Do not go overboard though or risk alienating them, in the process grinding negotiations to a crushing halt. Make a small show of power, urging them to play ball. Only hint at the consequences if they do not. Do not make overt threats. Insinuate them instead.

Easy/Open

This is the easiest person to negotiate with. They are very amenable only to the extent that they feel comfortable. Meaning that you need to display dominance tempered with a little control or give the illusion of being equals. This will make them feel comfortable enough around you to give you what you want. You need to create the appearance of fairness during your dealings to keep them hooked.

Overall, you just need to be observant. Never miss a small detail about the other person. It could mean the difference between getting what you want or the collapse of your negotiations.