Fundamental in the sales profession, the art of negotiation is a skill that requires subtlety and mastery. For ORSYS, Jean-Claude Sattonnay, expert trainer and consultant in business organization, outlines the stages of a well-conducted negotiation, particularly with regard to the health context and the era of distancing that results from it.
Negotiate: a relational game
Negotiation is a process of communication and exchanges between at least two parties and whose object concerns the organization of a relationship or the resolution of a problem between them.
The negotiation process is therefore part of either a cooperative relationship between the parties or a competitive relationship. During a negotiation, an alternation between these two types of relationships can occur.
In commercial negotiations, several central or influential elements must be taken into account: an analyzed environment, an adapted methodology, assertive behavior, factual communication, an updated legal framework and of course one or more specified issues.
It is useful to remember that each negotiator has his own objectives, divergent from those of the other party, and that, thanks to convergence arguments, the result obtained must satisfy mutual interests. We are therefore in a relationship of interdependence which underlies the fact that each party, a priori, needs the other.
A consensus must be found, which implies that, from the start of the negotiation, each of the parties agrees with the notion of concession or compensation.
Negotiation: a multi-step process
As the negotiation responds to specific communication patterns, the exercise can be deconstructed (and therefore prepared) according to a few key principles called the “6 Cs”:
- Build
- Contact
- To know
- Convince
- Conclude
- Consolidate
1. Build: preparation for the negotiation
During this phase, the negotiator must construct and enrich his information: negotiating is not bargaining. It requires preparation adapted to each situation. Under no circumstances does negotiation rely on improvisation.
The 3 rules for successful negotiation are:
- 1: prepare well
- 2: prepare well
- 3: prepare well
For example, during this phase, the elements to take into account can be the environment, the history, the issues, the reciprocal powers, the negotiation technique, the methodology including the objectives, the arguments, the strategy adapted, fallback solutions… The more participants are aware of these parameters, the more precise the negotiation can be.
2. Contact: welcome, relationship
Negotiation is a relationship affair. It is a matter of controlling this relationship by adopting an appropriate approach. But how can we define this ideal approach?
There are two types of negotiation approaches:
- predominantly approaches competitive. The best known is “position negotiation”. Everyone starts from a position, and through reciprocal concessions arrives at an area of agreement, then at a point of agreement. Thus, this approach favors the result rather than the relationship;
- predominantly approaches cooperative. We mainly find “Harvard reasoned negotiation” based on taking into account the interests of the different parties. This approach favors relationships.
3. Know: the art of questioning
After identifying the gray areas identified during phase 1, the negotiator will obtain information in order to better understand the position of the other party. To do this, he has several questioning methods such as:
- open to let others express themselves;
- closed to clarify certain points;
- alternatives to clarify positions.
This phase can also make it possible to validate the arguments prepared and thus ensure that the negotiation is viewed from the right angle.
Important: who is piloting? Who hosts?
4. Convince: the backbone of negotiation
Having reached this stage, the negotiator will deploy his methodology and rely on his preparation: objectives, arguments, objections, responses to objections, fallback solutions, etc.
When it comes to behavior, practice assertiveness – or assertiveness – allows on the one hand to give credibility to the negotiator who has been well prepared, and on the other hand to focus on the result to be obtained and not on the interlocutor. Being able to clearly express our needs, our feelings, knowing how to say no… Self-affirmation is above all a skill and ability to communicate. They are in fact essential to keep an open dialogue and achieve negotiation. Indeed, if one of the two parties turns against you, it becomes more complicated to move towards your objective.
5. Conclude (closing)
When the objective is achieved, the negotiator is able to conclude. It will bring about the conclusion, and summarize – reformulate – the decisions and agreements.
The conclusions can be sequential, depending on the different themes addressed during the negotiation, and/or global.
There are different conclusion tactics depending on the nature of the negotiation and the relationships between the parties: summarizing the benefits, removing hesitation with a final advantage, visualization, etc.
6. Consolidate: the relationship and its framework
The contract is the formalization of the negotiated agreements. Beyond the operational points, it describes the various legal obligations linked to the nature of the negotiation and the execution of contractual obligations. Beyond the obligations of the parties, sanctions are indicated, negotiated during the various exchanges, expressed in the form of punitive clauses or incentive clauses.
The contract is the legal guarantor of the obligations of each party and consolidation will take place on the one hand by respecting these obligations and on the other hand by the permanent monitoring of reciprocal commitments.
Negotiate on the phone
The telephone is not the ideal tool for carrying out a negotiation. A large part of the constituent elements of interpersonal communication are erased (such as the paraverbal or gestures).
The health context requires certain adjustments. You have to be agile and adapt.
If negotiating face-to-face requires a certain ease of movement and good communication, telephone negotiation, for its part, is not just a simple empirical exchange.
Golden rule: never negotiate on a call from the other party. When she calls you, she's ready. His file is open before his eyes including his checklist and his cursors. Negotiations cannot therefore begin for various reasons:
- you are not ready ;
- the power asymmetry is too great to be easily compensated.
It is therefore necessary to agree on a telephone meeting which will allow the situation to be rebalanced.
The best choice in remote negotiation is videoconferencing, or equivalent, which allows you to partially return to face-to-face conditions.
But the most favorable situation for negotiation remains the “face-to-face” presence of the negotiators…
The issues at stake in a negotiation often require careful preparation. The negotiator must never lose sight of the whole situation, both his own and that of his interlocutor, and must therefore adapt accordingly. The health crisis and the obligation to maintain physical distancing are redistributing the cards in this complex exercise, but a good negotiator knows how to take advantage of the tools at his disposal in all circumstances.
