Negotiations are a fact of life and almost every interaction we have is a form of negotiation. We negotiate with people we care for, and we negotiate with people we don’t care for that much. All relationships are the product of a negotiation.
One of the most important elements in negotiation is the idea of a deadline – by when must a decision be made?
In certain negotiating situations, deadlines are very important – they can mean the difference between life and death (such as in hostage negotiations) or the loss and gain of money (such as in business negotiations.)
In other situations, though, deadlines are more flexible and missing them does not create dire consequences. It is vital to understand which type of situation is which.
If you’re in a negotiation that is reaching some kind of deadline, it’s important to stay focused and continue to move forward.
Hopefully you’ve taken to heart any previously provided suggestions to plan your negotiations, create flexible conditions for yourself and to plan for things to go wrong.
In addition to these suggestions, there are three questions that you should be asking yourself as you prepare for negotiations which have deadlines.
Deadlines are a fact of life; preparing for them is the behavior of a successful negotiator.
These questions will help you relieve the pressure of a deadline more effectively.
Question 1: What self imposed or organisation imposed deadlines am I under that limit my ability? What time pressures make it more difficult for me to negotiate? Self-imposed deadlines are often more difficult to cope with than those coming from the other party.
Question 2: Are the deadlines I’ve imposed on myself or my organisation real? Can I negotiate an extension with my own people? Many deadlines are amenable to change. And you can use the same negotiation skills to uncover what the true deadlines really are and why.
Question 3: What deadlines are putting pressure on the other party and his or her organisation? Even if you don’t know for sure, you can probably make some reasonable guesses. Remember, you are not the only one under time pressure. They may be under greater pressure than you.
These are simple questions, but can be very powerful. If you answer these prior to your next negotiation, you will be much better prepared.
When you negotiate from a place of time power, you are building your bargaining base, and are more likely to generate substantially better desired outcomes.
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Guest blog by:
Dr. Chester Karrass, the founder of Karrass Ltd, the world leader in negotiation skills seminars for individuals and companies. Learn more about negotiation by visiting http://www.Karrass.com