7 Steps to Being a Skillful Negotiator

Do you hate negotiating or just wish that you were better at it?

Will you negotiate for me?

Was a question that I have been hearing a lot in my life lately. It’s been part of the this powerful skill set that I have learned in the past few years, and I really love negotiating, but I would like more than anything is to have others be able to do their own negotiating.

Negotiating is nothing more than a simple relationship skill that can be learned and used to better affect the results in your life. You may also recall that relationships happen whenever value is exchanged.

I was at the jewelry store with my mom and my sister. My sister is into making bracelets and other crafts with special items. In this store she found just the item that was soothing to her needs.

It was only about ten dollars and the way this shop worked is that these prices were easily negotiable.

My mom, knowing that I have been negotiating ever since I was 17 and bought my first car, requested my help in getting this special gem at a low price. I looked at her and my sister and all I said was, “Offer them $5.”

They had wanted much more from me and watching me work over the years they knew what I was capable of, but I wanted much more from them. The lesson for me was that if it costs just a few dollars for my sister to face someone in negotiation and to get better at the process, then it was all worth it.

Today I want to give you just a few tips that will help make you a master negotiator. In this day in age, people do not want to talk about prices or uncomfortable social situations.

This has made transactions seamless, but absent of a negotiable value exchange. People have what they want for the price they expected, but what if they could have asked for more? What if they were missing out on the price they could have gotten.

When it comes to larger transactions such as car sales or home purchases the skill of negotiation is going to do wonders for you. For business it is absolutely essential and if the thing that you are getting of value can be disputed and questioned, whether the vegetable can actually do what the salesman sales it can do, then I don’t see a reason why the value exchanged for that has to be absolute.

The following tools are absolute money for negotiating, whether it is a financial transaction or even a relationship, you will find the following to be worthwhile.

1.) Be unattached to the outcome.

The universe is abundant. There is no reason you need to consider scarcity when looking at your purchase and deciding on its value. The only mistakes I have made when negotiating is thinking that I had to have this thing right now.

2.) Be the expert on the item you are buying.

Know the items in and outs, what other people are paying, and most importantly what it is worth to you.

3.) Know the other person you are negotiating with.

It is a relationship, take a new perceptual position and look at things from the other person’s point of view. Have they been trying to sell this car on Craigslist for two months? How bad do you think they want to sell this car now?

4.) Always bring in something that sways the value of the item you are purchasing in your favor before you make the offer.

In other words, say something really negative about the product before offering your value (cash). For example, “It’s too bad this car really needs new tires and it looks like the clutch is going out. Will you take $5,000 cash?”

5.) Make the value of your offer more than just the money you are going to pay.

Usually one of the best things that you can offer is cash in hand and the transaction complete now. To expand on our example, “Will you take $5,000 cash now?” And then you pull out an envelope with 100-dollar bills. This is hard to say no to. Please note: make sure you are always accompanied and safe when taking money to potential transactions.

6.) Offer low so that the other person will counter-offer.

If they accept your original offer you know that you could have gone lower with your offer and had them potentially accept. It is totally okay for them to reject your offer. Most times they will counter and then you will counter. This is how successful negotiation is done. Give yourself room to get the price you want.

7.) Lastly set your limits.

In any negotiation know beforehand exactly what the lowest amount is that you will sell for, the highest amount that you will buy for, and what your ideal settle price is. This will help direct your mind towards what you want.

Negotiation is a powerful skill that can be used for business transactions, but also in relationships. A business relationship is just like any other relationship where value is exchanged. If you were to follow these similar steps and mindsets, likely you are to be even more successful in all kinds of your relationships.

There are many more skills that you can learn to become a better negotiator or influencer in your relationships. Sign up for my newsletter to learn even more of these powerful communication skills.