By Amanda Grochwich
January 2015
CYP Members gain insights on 'Negotiating to Win'
On Nov. 18, Members of The Vancouver Board of Trade's Company of Young Professionals program received a crash course in "negotiating to win" by Shane Gibson, an international speaker, sales trainer, and author of Closing Bigger.
Gibson shared insights on how to lead successful negotiations, with an end goal of getting what you want, while making the other person feel like they've won.
Below are highlights from Gibson's Key Ingredients to Principle-based Negotiations.
Prepare. Identify what you are willing to accept, including when you'll be happy as well as when you're prepared to walk away.
Do your research. Brainstorm possible arguments and objections and know how to respond to them, in addition to alternatives to a negotiated agreement.
Set your terms. Where are you meeting? Do you have the necessary time allocated for the negotiations?
Focus on interests. What outcomes are you looking for? There will always be multiple ways to achieve your desired outcomes. Brainstorm as many options to achieve those goals as possible.
Centre yourself. Train yourself to not react when thrown.
Have a questioning process. Make sure to ask a variety of questions – open and closed. Build small agreements into the larger negotiation process.
Listen. Be a 70-30 listener. Observe body language, including breathing, eye movements, posture, changes in tone and action.
Build an ultimate outcome. Say the outcome using their words and in the context of their interests.
As the session drew to a close, Gibson reemphasized that all of us are negotiating all the time in our daily lives. With awareness and preparation, we can all go home feeling like winners.
Amanda Grochwich is a member of the Company of Young Professionals (CYP), a leadership development program of The Vancouver Board of Trade which engages those under 35 through leadership, networking, development and volunteerism opportunities. For more information, visit boardoftrade.com/CYP.