Businesswomen: Master the Art of Negotiation

Women often debate about the best pieces of career advice women give one another.  Some say books can teach you to be a good leader.  Others argue that the majority of business books are actually written by men, and they simply don’t understand the challenges face in today’s business world.  Here we have compiled the most successful tips that businesswomen often struggle with, focusing on negotiating.  Here are five tips that can help women conquer their nerves, ease their jitters and master the art of negotiation:

Over-prepare.

Prior to enter any type of negotiation setting, get organized from an informational stance.  Jot down the reasons you’re negotiating for what it is that you want.  Once your rationale is clear, compile research that backs your argument.  For instance, if you’re hoping to hire help, assemble the criteria for bringing on an.  What’s the minimum number of people an assistant typically supports?  Does revenue have a minimum amount of revenue it must clear in order to validate hiring help?  Be prepared to express the ways an assistant would add value to the organization.

Stay steady.

Before your meeting, prepare your facts and your demeanor.  You can’t walk into a negotiation without your ducks in a row.  The result can be a complete nightmare.  Demonstrate your optimism and show that you believe a solution that satisfies all parties is reachable.  Boost your self-confidence by focusing on your strong points and abilities; dwell on your successes to help remind yourself of your value.  Role-play the negotiation prior to the real thing with a person your trust beforehand to help control your emotions.

Inquire strategically.

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In a negotiation setting, questions that require open-ended answers are often times incredibly powerful.  Questions of this nature open up the dialogue and also can earn you additional time if you need to compose your thoughts.  Think along the lines of: Can you elaborate on how you came to this solution? What is preventing us from coming to an agreement?

Strategize silently.

Use silence to your advantage.  When people are nervous they tend to ramble.  So don’t talk too much, you just tend to over-promise or under-sell—things you’ll later regret.  Stay quiet and think so you can prepare for your next move.  Silence also makes your counterpart open up and talk.  Silence helps keep you in the more favorable position.

Identify mutual gains.

Seek out a way that both parties benefit.  A win-win is the best way to negotiate; never look at the situation as a win-loss.  There has to be a positive in their somewhere if you look at the situation with an open, optimistic mentality.

The art of negotiating is one that is tricky, but can be conquered with the right mentality.  Take an optimistic approach and the above tips can help you overcome your fears and struggles and end up on top.

What advice do you have for other businesswomen?

Photo Source: forbes.com