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“As
business professionals, we negotiate every day on topics ranging from
work assignments, project delivery dates and even business travel. Our
viewers have routinely reported that women and men approach
negotiations differently and have asked for advice from others to
develop and refine this critical skill set. Our ’10 Negotiation Tips’
is the culmination of advice from CareerWomen.com
viewers and clearly
represents a strong desire by women to become better negotiators and
ultimately strong business leaders.”
The “10 Negotiation Tips From Women in the Trenches” include:
- The Mars/Venus relationship needs to be top of mind in
business negotiations. Communication styles between men and women are
different and as a result, negotiations can be complex. Our advice:
keep your communication style direct by sharing plans, not concepts.
Think collaboration not confrontation.
- Use mentors to
help refine your negotiation skills. Given that you will be negotiating
with both men and women, pick a mentor from Mars and Venus to get
perspective from both sides of the communication spectrum. Practice
makes perfect, so our advice: Practice, practice, practice.
- Women tend to think of getting along vs. getting what they want.
Be
clear about what you want and practice asking for it in a calm, direct
manner. Our advice: don’t be confrontational. Getting fired-up and
emotional may have an adverse reaction.
- Negotiation is a
conversation and you may risk getting off-track. Our advice: stay
focused; remain on point and on course to avoid a negotiation disaster.
- Gaining buy in along the way will get you closer to your
goal faster. Making sure that the other party is being heard is a sign
of respect and will be appreciated. Our advice: repeat the points of
the other side and use language such as “Let me make sure I completely
understand your point.”
- Successful negotiating requires preparation. Be prepared with a
strong
understanding of your needs and motivations, as well as the other side.
Our advice: do your research, gather together relevant information and
if it’s complicated, get outside expertise from a mentor or colleague.
- Creative solutions are well respected, especially if they
demonstrate a
strong understanding for the goals of the business. Our advice: Most
points are negotiable and remember; it’s not always about money. Think
add-ons, better terms or additional services.
- Starting with your bottom line may close the door on
negotiations. Our
advice: be prepared to compromise and expect the other party to
compromise as well.
- Being fair is not a loss. It shows that you are willing to adjust
your
expectations to meet the needs of the other side. Our advice: ask the
question, “Why don’t you tell me what you think is fair.” You may be
surprised at the answer.
- Negotiating is a process not an event. One conversation may not
culminate in a final decision. Our advice: be willing to say, “Let me
think about that and get back to you in 24 hours.”
Additional resources to enhance professional
development and advance women’s careers can be found at CareerWomen
including career development tools, career and employment news,
professional associations and employment opportunities across the US
with some of the best women-friendly companies.
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