Whether you're negotiating a peace settlement in a war-torn
country or a peace settlement in an argument-ravaged
relationship, strong preparation is the key to success.

In the 1990's, I used to run courses in Europe and South America
in 'The Secrets of Emotional Negotiation'. One model I
developed for those courses was specifically designed to
maximize the effectiveness of your preparation - to ensure you
put together only the most useful information and insights for
creating the results you truly desire.

I called the model "The Negotiation P.R.O.F.I.L.E.(tm),
and it has proved itself incredibly useful over the years
not only to my students but in my own negotiations in business
and in life.

Four years ago, I wrote an article about the first three steps
in the P.R.O.F.I.L.E. process which has been circulating around
the internet under the title 'How to Negotiate Like a P.R.O.'.

Today's tip is an adapted and slightly expanded version of that
original; next week I will share the second half of the model
publicly for the first time...

===============
1. P = Purpose
===============

Knowing why you are engaged in a negotiation may seem obvious in
some situations (to buy a lamp, to stop a fight, etc.), but
more complex negotiations generally have more complex purposes.

Ask yourself:
-Why am I negotiating?
-What are the potential benefits?
-What do I ultimately hope to achieve?

===================================
2. R = Result/Relationship Balance
===================================

A "transaction" is high result/low relationship - we get what we
want, and the other person is incidental to the exchange.
Buying a used car is generally a "transaction".

"Relationship-builders" are meetings, calls, and exchanges of
value where developing the relationship between the two parties
is far more important than the actual tangible "result"
outcome. Early meetings in any project are usually
"relationship-builders" - what gets done is far less important
than connections being made.

A true "Deal" is where there is a high emphasis on both getting
what you want and enhancing your relationship for the future -
this "win/win" thinking takes more time and effort, but is
essential in any sort of long-term agreement. Successful
political (and marital!) negotiations are always predicated on
achieving this balance.

Give yourself the following test:

If you had 20 points to distribute between creating the Result
you want and enhancing the Relationship, how would you do it?

Example:
Result/Relationship Balance

15/5 - Transaction
5/15 - Relationship builder
10/10 - Deal

============================
3. O = Outcomes and Options
============================

When it comes to negotiation, having a clear outcome, goal, or
target in mind has been shown to be one of the primary
determinants in how things come out.

(See Richard G. Shell's excellent "Bargaining for Advantage" for
more information - details in the 'Want to Learn More?' section
at the end of the tip)

Ask yourself the following questions:
-What specifically do I want?
-What specifically do I think they want?
-What are some plausible options that will get us both what we
want?

--------------------
Today's Experiment:
--------------------

1. Identify at least three upcoming or ongoing negotiations in
your life - one personal, one professional, and one internal
(you may need to get creative with this one).

Examples:
Personal -
"My husband wants to spend our tax refund on a big screen TV; I
want to take a family holiday to Hawaii; our accountant wants
us to put it into a real-estate trust."

Professional -
"I want to negotiate a raise at work."

Internal -
"Part of me wants to eat unlimited amounts of chocolate; part of
me wants to look great naked!"

2. Apply the purpose, relationship, outcome and option questions
to each of the three negotiations. If you're using this to
prepare for a particularly important negotiation, take some
extra time to answer the questions AS IF you were the other
person in the negotiation. You will be pleasantly surprised at
the insights you gain from this process.

Next week, I will discuss the F.I.L.E. part of the equation,
which will give you the extra information you need to move
forward with confidence on your path to success...

Have fun, learn heaps, and negotiate like a P.R.O.!

With love,
michael

PRINTABLE VERSION HERE

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