Negotiation And Your Reputation

Negotiation is a two sided event, being known as a good negotiator only happens when you build a reputation for this – & that doesn’t happen by accident. Good reputations are built around trust – you have to be able to get people to trust you. This cannot be done successfully if you negotiate by using cheap tricks and bad business ethics.

So how do you build a good reputation for negotiation?

The key to this is to understand what trust is all about. We have all met people that we trust – along with those that we don’t! The key factor to remember here is that you are negotiating with, or on behalf of, someone. After all, negotiating is all about reaching a common and satisfactory solution for all parties.

It is going to be very difficult to reach a deal or solution with someone you ultimately don’t trust. You won’t ever be happy with anything they suggest. Both negotiators need to be able to trust each other, this is basically the only way a good deal will be struck.

Once a deal is done everyone involved has to know and trust that the other party will deliver. There is no point going through a ton of agony or heartache wondering if the other side is going to come through for you. Good negotiators will learn to know how to create trust during their meeting or discussion. Of course, tricky and difficult points are going to come up, this is why there is a need for negotiations in the first place.

It is important to remember here that trusting and agreeing are not the same thing. You don’t have to agree with the other side, but you do need to trust them (& they you)!

Always remember that during any negotiation both parties want to feel as though they have the upper hand. Your main concern  is to build your reputation as a negotiator and this means getting the other party to trust you. Once they trust you it will be much easier for you both to reach agreement.

All the actions that you take during this time are going to help set your platform for your next negotiation. If your reputation isn’t built on trust then it just makes your job harder.

Trust is built over time & usually fairly slowly & cautiously. The wrong word here or an emotional outburst there, can destroy trust that has taken days, weeks, months even years to build in a matter of seconds! So trust is a very fragile thing.

There are ways to accelerate the trust building process – & I will explore these in another blog post – however, understand that consistency, from you, is going to be your best asset in building trust (& your reputation) over time. As you successfully conclude negotiations your reputation will follow you and before you know it you will be an in demand negotiator!