Without realizing it, we often fall into various negotiation traps. Today’s entry highlighting some of the most common ambushes:

• Beauty

Pretty people have it easier in life. They certainly have an easy time negotiating.

In contact with a beautiful woman, a man will usually: ignore her intellect, focus on her face, body, weaken his defenses, say too much, show chivalry, show off

He will do all this unconsciously.

• Haste

I don’t understand the „phenomenon” of short meetings. Of course, I agree that it’s a waste of time for regular, long sitting sessions, during which the same issues are repeated and their main purpose is to emphasize that „you are”.

However, in business negotiations, optimizing the length of meetings with Suppliers does not bring anything good.

For 30 minutes you will be able to:

– present a special offer, e.g. purchase of a larger batch of goods rewarded with a higher discount

– new product

For 30 minutes you cannot:

– get to know the assortment of the new supplier

– establish cooperation assumptions for the quarter/half/year (here assortment mix, deliveries, promotional support, etc.)

– work out solutions to a problem of greater caliber than one late delivery

– discuss comments to the contract

– negotiate commercial terms

• Keeping small

Some people are so stressed by the mere vision of negotiations that getting “something” in them seems on the one hand a success, and on the other an opportunity to end them immediately.

Let us remember that what we get: should be enough for us for a long time – in the case of salary or contract negotiations, a year or more must be commensurate with our efforts and results – if, for example, we have brought huge savings to the company, it is difficult to accept a raise of 1- 2%, must be adequate to the situation – negotiating an increase „for performance” in the face of 8% inflation should include this inflation, i.e. 8%+

• No preparation

• Overconfidence

Self-confidence is a state, attitude, and a feature of high self-esteem. This attitude facilitates not only negotiating, but also very useful in everyday life.

However, in negotiations, overconfidence is no longer a desirable trait, but a threat.

Confident negotiators: do not listen to their opponents, do not pay attention to non-verbal signals, are closed to developing new solutions, are limited to options that they invented or know

• Ignoring the psychological aspects

Whether we like it or not, negotiation is emotional communication. Sometimes the parties do not reach an agreement not because the goal of both parties was unrealistic. Well, it was the most real thing, and taking rationalism into account, both sides should come to an agreement. However, this is not the case. Participants in the negotiations do not come to mutual agreements, because they did not take into account the emotions …

When the atmosphere is tense and we have the impression that we are „talking to the wall”, it is enough to:

• warm up the atmosphere with some casual, short conversation,
  • offer something to drink
  • open the window and ventilate the room,
  • take a short break
  • give the other party a chance to calmly think about the proposal,
  • allow our opponents to comment on the findings at a later date.

• Dating „by the mouth”

Remember to formalize our findings, so:

• Let’s write minutes after each meeting.
• Let’s not ignore the exchange of e-mails.
• Let’s transfer all oral (telephone) arrangements to e-mail.
• Finally, let’s write down the relevant Agreements, Agreements, Annexes …

Source:https://poradniknegocjaatora.pl/pulapki-negocjacyjne/

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.