I want advice on how to negotiate
1) Rethink what negotiation means to you
Being willing to negotiate is the first step. To many people the word ‘negotiation’ means conflict. The whole process will be stressful and it’s something to avoid.
Negotiation doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, you can try:
- collaborative negotiation. Collaborative negotiation focuses on creating a win-win situation.
- thinking about the situation as ‘asking for what you want’ rather than ‘negotiating’. Asking may be much less intimidating than negotiating!
- thinking about who are you negotiating for. It may feel easier if you think about the other people who will gain if you negotiate well (like your family).
2) Prepare
Do your research
- Get informed about the salary ranges typically offered for the kind of work you do
- Find out more about what the other person wants in the negotiation
Set goals
- Make sure you know what your goals are (if you don’t know what you want, it is unlikely you will be able to ask for it). Be realistic but aim a little high.
- Think about your whole ‘employment package’, not just the pay.
- Try to build up some viable options before you negotiate so that you are in a situation where you can make a choice as to what works best for you.
Practice
- Think about some of the various directions the negotiation might go and plan out different approaches to what you might say and how you will say it.
- You can practice negotiating collaboratively.
3) Negotiate collaboratively
Build a relationship with the person you’re negotiating with
- Listening is the key to understanding where the other person is coming from.
- Don’t lose sight of your own interests. Treat this negotiation as problem-solving with the aim that everyone’s needs will be met.
- Communicating your concern for others and relationships helps your requests to be viewed positively.
- But you don’t need to say ‘yes’ straight away.
You can also watch this presentation ‘Learn a simple framework for approaching negotiation in a whole new light’
The advice on this website is drawn from research, and is not intended to take the place of legal advice where that would be appropriate.