Lessons In Negotiating From A Child: Picking The Appropriate Approach For Your Purchasing Negotiations.

Have you ever tried to reason with with a 2 year old?

Were you surprised with their negotiation skills?

Well, my son is now almost 2 and half years old and has suddenly discovered that he has a will - a very strong will at that. Typical of children at this stage, he is far more interested in getting what he wants than with complying with his mother or father's wishes.

It seems to me that as children we tend to be assertive rather than accommodating in our communication with others. We are only concerned with satisfying our own needs and wants rather than satisfying the needs and desires of those around us.

It is only as we grow older that we learn the world does not in fact revolve around us and that we have to fit into our environment in a responsible and positive way. We learn that we can not only do as we wish but also have to consider the rights, feelings and desires of others.

This made me think about the 5 basic negotiation strategies and how you can use them to support the achievement of your sales negotiation targets.

1.Competitive negotiation

This is a way of negotiation that is primarily assertive and focused on your own needs, wants and targets.

2.Accommodating negotiation

This is a mode of negotiation that is primarily focused on the needs, desires and targets of your counterparts whilst ignoring your own needs. Sales training seminars often advocate this negotiation strategy as the most suitable strategy.

3.Compromising negotiation

Probably the best known of all negotiation strategies. This is a mode of negotiation where you meet your counterparts in the middle. You get some of your needs, wants and targets met and you do the same for your counterpart.

4.Collaborative negotiation

This is a mode of negotiation where you seek to meet all of the needs, wants and objectives of your counterpart and they reciprocate.

5.Avoiding negotiation

This is a style of interaction where you do not regard negotiation as the best way to attain your objectives.

The important factors which will determine which of the above approaches should be in your negotiations is to answer the following 3 questions:

a.How important is an ongoing relationship to you?

If the relationship is critical, then you will not be able to be only assertive, you will have to at least compromise with your counterpart. If you do not satisfy the desires of your counterparts, then it is unlikely that a meaningful relationship will develop.

b.How many options are available to you?

If you have many alternatives available, you can afford to be more competitive. On the other hand, if you have no alternatives, then you will be required to be more accommodating.

c.How much time do you have available?

If you have a lot of time available, then you can afford to be more competitive. The less time you have, the more accommodating you will have to be.

As you can see, it is important to ask yourself these three questions before you start negotiating so that you can select the approach most suited to the situation at hand rather than just following a negotiation strategy solely based on your preference.

It is also important to remember that you should be flexible in your approach. You may want to change your strategy as new information becomes available during your negotiations.

Credit Card Processing Accounts -- How They Can Improve Your Small Business
Getting the right merchant account for your business is a very important thing. Read this to find out the best way to go about it.

Why You Should Promote Your Very Own Business In An Online Business Directory
Remember when business directories were big fat printed tomes and customers had to let their fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages to find you? Those were the days before the Internet was the place to go for information.

Enclosed Cork Boards - A Great Tool To Communicate With Many People Effortlessly
An enclosed cork board is an excellent way to communicate with a large group of people in an unobtrusive way. If you run a school office or work in a hospital or hotel, there will be times when you will need to notify people of events or fundraisers.

What's The Cheapest Merchant Account And Exactly How To Uncover Them?
This article looks at the merchant processing industry and how to choose a merchant account that is right for an individual's needs.

Looking At Techniques To Find The Best Merchant Accounts For Your Business
Choosing a merchant account can actually be a tricky business. Read this article to find out how to get the best companies.

Going Through The Merchant Card Account Marketplace And Utilizing A Provider Such As Charge.Com.
Getting a good merchant account is not easy. Read this to find out how it's done and to get one yourself.

Business Training And Human Resource Management: Principal Aspects To Get Improved Productivity From Staffs
At first, let's have a look at the benefits to hiring business coaches. A business coach is a person who specializes in helping a firm or business person increase productivity or profits. This is done by coaching specific people in an organization to develop better management styles and business relationships.