The Most Common Negotiating Mistakes

What are the most common negotiating mistakes people make?

1. Ego – I have seen a lot of negotiations, in fact more than 90 % negotiations fail due to personal ego. If you are doing negotiation for your organization or for your team than please put your ego behind the goals.

2. Confusion between negotiation and bargaining – People get confused between negotiating and bargaining but there is difference between negotiation and bargaining. For further details please read my previous post http://expertscolumn.com/content/difference-between-bragaining-and-negotiation

3. Confusion between negotiation and compromise – This is another confusion that is in people’s mind because some people feel both

4. Talking more than listening – A great negotiator means a great listener. Let other party talk and listen them carefully. If your singing only your own song and do not listening what other party needs than you are a poor negotiator.

5. Confusing goals and lack of planning – Clarify what exactly your goals are because confusion creates drama. Negotiation starts with dialogue and before starting the diolouge you should prepare your maximum goals clearly. Although

6. Neglecting the other side’s problem – The objective of negotiation is to seek a win – win solution and if win and lose solution happens than you are neglecting the other side’s problem.

7. Lack of inspiration – Fail to inspire other party to ask relevant questions. In negotiation process you have to inspire and sometimes you have to provoke the other party to ask questions so that you may know what exact outcome other party is trying to get. 

8. Thinking that negotiation is one time process or activity – That is another important mistake that is responsible for negotiation failure. Never think that you will get win – win results in a single meetings. To get best outcomes you have to do at least two or three meetings and sometimes more than three meetings in complicated issues.