It is vitally important to spend time thinking and planning before the negotiation happens. The time you choose to invest beforehand will pay dividends during the negotiation. This section focuses on some key points to consider
before negotiating.

Know your reason why & define your goals
When entering into negotiations it is critical to have a strong reason why and very clearly defined goals.These
are critical to guide your planning and preparation and provide direction to do your possibility thinking. Most
importantly they define your success criteria.

1. Be clear about why you are entering into the negotiation. Ask yourself: What are my reasons for entering into this negotiation? How strong are my reasons? If your reason why is not strong, ask yourself: what would be a better use of my time? Or, who else would be better placed to conduct this negotiation?

2. Build the virtuous habit of thinking about and clearly defining your negotiating goals. Thinking linked to action is a most powerful combination. One without the other is futile.

3. Write a negotiating mandate. It is a statement of your defined goals – what you are empowered to achieve and who is involved. It enables achievement, against the requirements set out in it, to be measured; it is the standard against which you, and others, will measure your success. Consider how best to structure your defined goals.
When agreeing a negotiating mandate, if you are not clear on precisely what you can achieve (which is common), either agree a range – e.g. I will sell each unit at a profit margin between x% and y% – or leave yourself a route back – e.g. if Company A will not drop their threat of legal action I will refer back to the Executive.

5. Agree your mandate with the appropriate decision takers concerned within your organisation. It is important that they have absolute clarity of understanding of the outputs and are bought in to what you want to achieve.

6. Reflect on your goals and the reason why you are going into the negotiation, and check that your selfbelief is high. If it is not, work on developing your confidence. It is essential you enter a negotiation with a greater level of belief than doubt that you will reach a satisfactory outcome. If your level of self-belief is lower than desired, then this is your first priority to focus on. Review the negotiating goal and consider if the outcome or timescale is too stretching. If it is, can it be amended or broken down into smaller parts? If not, who could you possibly involve to help you prepare and build your confidence?

7. Allow sufficient preparation time. Preparation builds self-belief.The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. The more confident you are, the more your probability of success. This includes mental rehearsal techniques of recalling previous success when negotiating and imagining future success in this negotiation. Ensure your internal
dialogue – the statements you make and the questions you ask yourself – is helpful rather than hindering.

Exploring possibilities & planning priorities
There is an old saying, ‘fail to plan and you plan to fail’. This is particularly so with negotiations. The best negotiators plan and prepare thoroughly. They carefully research their opponents as well as their own case. They know how to be flexible; they explore possibilities– as sticking rigidly to a plan can lead to predictability and this would give the other party the edge. Your plan is a framework within which you can manoeuvre.

8. Get to know the people you will be dealing with – their organisation, its performance and results, what analysts say about them. Get their internal newspaper and learn their language – what is important to them, how their values are expressed. Use the internet, talk to people who know them. This will give you important background, as well as
issues of mutual interest which you may be able to talk about. Your genuine interest will shine through when you meet, which will help build rapport.

9. Work out the possible ways in which you might achieve your goals, before you enter into the negotiations themselves. Use the ten Go MAD® generic possibility thinking areas: possible tasks, possible resources, possible reasons to involve others, who to possibly involve, possible ways to gain their buy-in, possible ways to communicate your goals, possible obstacles, ways to possibly overcome those obstacles, possible risks and implications, possible assumptions and self-limiting beliefs.

10. Reflect on the other parties’ reason why. How strong is it? Imagine the conversations they are having. What are they attempting to achieve? What are their defined goals? What lies behind them? In your mind, walk through all the conversations you can imagine you might have in the negotiation. Anticipate every question you may be asked, and
how you would respond.Work out what you could How to win in negotiations do in any given situation, and be prepared to mix and match when you get into the discussion itself– drawing different elements from different
imagined conversations.

11. Gather any hard data you may need either to support your arguments, or to respond to questions. Knowing you have this data provides great comfort, and helps increase self-belief, even if you don’t need to use it.

12. Hold one or more pre-meetings with your own side – useful to gain buy-in – or with the other side, to begin the process of influencing. Think about how such a discussion can be organised to achieve the best result.

13. Prepare for the pre-meetings – be they formal or informal. Have a very clear goal in mind about what you want to achieve. Remember the power that pre-meetings and pre-positioning can have on achieving the desired outcome.

14. Remember that the strongest negotiators are competitive people – they want to get the best result, both against the requirements set out in the negotiating mandate, and against their own standards of what they can achieve.This applies equally to all sides in a negotiation.

15. Know your role within the negotiation. If you are leading it, take time to ensure that your team fully understand the goal you are working to achieve, and the broad way in which you are going to achieve it.

16. Seek out the best people to work with. Identify those people who have been successful in previous negotiations and who will bring something to the negotiation. Consider the various possible reasons for involving them. It might be their technical knowledge or relationships with the people whom you are negotiating with.They might be able to help you in or outside the negotiation.

Thinking ahead about the negotiation
17. Ensure that there is only one lead negotiator. Brief carefully all those people you involve in the negotiation so they know their role and your role within the negotiation, and will stick to it. Resolve any conflicts in this area before you get in the room– share your mandate with them.

18. Build professionalism and discipline amongst your team, by having a shared understanding of what you are setting out to achieve. Do not put yourself in a position where you can be injured by a ‘loose cannon’ on your own team.

19. Take great care over the arrangements for the negotiating meeting. If on your premises, ensure that all the logistical arrangements flow smoothly for people who are visiting you – from their car parking, to a warm welcome at reception and clear directions to the meeting room, to coffee on arrival, and meals as appropriate.

20. Look after all the little details. It will help build rapport and demonstrate that you care on a human level – even if you are then going to spend many hours disagreeing on things. Ensure a breakout room is available for adjournments; lighting is good and refreshments are provided.

Excerpt from ‘How To Win In Negotiations – 130 Ways to Make a Difference’ by Jonathan Donovan and Andy Gilbert

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