Whether negotiating a pay rise, a flexible working arrangement, the terms of a new job or a potential contract with a customer or supplier, you need to be smart about how you negotiate. This not only includes doing the right things but also avoiding actions and strategies that will weaken your case. Here’s what you should be avoiding when it comes to the negotiation process.
Vague Objectives
It may seem like an obvious point to make, but do you really know what your objective is in these negotiations? Think about it – do you have a specific aim in mind or is your goal something as vague as “get a pay rise” or “get my boss to agree to flexible working hours” or “get this person on board as a new client”? If you can be more specific with yourself about what percentage of pay raise you’ll take as a minimum, what hours you want to work or what kind of work you want to do with a potential new client, you’ll be more confident in negotiations as a result of knowing exactly what you’re asking for.
No Research
An informed negotiator is a good negotiator. When preparing for negotiations, don’t forget to research what you need to in order to effectively make your case. If you’re looking for pay rise, that means researching what other people in your profession and at your level are earning to clue you into what you should be getting. If you’re aiming to win over a potential new client, take a look at who else they’re currently working with for insight into what they look for in a contractor.
Lack of Evidence
To be taken seriously in negotiations, you need to present evidence that you deserve whatever it is you’re asking for. No one in the professional arena is going to give you something just because you ask for it. It’s your job to show them what’s in it for them. Hoping for a pay rise? You need to build a business case providing evidence of the financial worth of your work to the company – how much money have your projects earned for your employer over the past quarter? How much money have the new cost-efficiency processes you’ve designed and implemented saved? Similarly, if you want to get the go-ahead for something like working more hours from home you need to present a business case to your boss showing why you’d be able to do your job as more of a remote worker. How much do you get done on the days when you already work from home?
Knowing Nothing About the Negotiator
Whether you’re negotiating the compensation package for your new role or you’re a manager negotiating boundaries with a difficult employee, you need to know who you’re negotiating with. The more you understand the person on the other side of the negotiation table, the better you’ll be able to deploy persuasion tactics based on what you know makes them tick. Think about where they’re coming from as individuals. What are their objectives in terms of the company and their own career? Think of the ways in which you getting what you want will help them achieve those objectives, then think about how to present that information to them in a way that they’ll be receptive to.
Going it Alone
Even if you’re only negotiating on your own behalf, you don’t have to carry the burden of the negotiations alone. Whether you simply ask for advice from your mentor or from someone you know is a good negotiator, get someone to act as an advocate on your behalf or something in-between, make use of your network and the people in your organisation who can help you get the result you want.