The Keys to Negotiating Success

Most hiring managers consider themselves negotiators. Do you? Think about what you do on a daily basis – resolve employee disputes, negotiate with job candidates to take a position, and even train employees in specific areas. All of these functions involve some sort of negotiating.

The problem is that most hiring managers feel they are not good negotiators. In addition, with companies now working towards changing their company culture, some of the negotiation skills used in the past will no longer work. So, what are the keys to negotiating success? Here they are:

Clarity – the most important thing you must understand before you begin negotiating, is the expected outcome. You must be completely clear the outcome, to effectively negotiate. How can you expect to negotiate if you do not know what the end result should be? Make sure that you research and prepare fully before beginning any type of negotiation.
Detachment – this is probably the hardest part of negotiating for hiring managers. You must learn to detach yourself from the situation when it is over. Once you have resolved the employee dispute, detach yourself from the situation. Once you have negotiated the new hire, detach yourself from the outcome. You get the idea – do your negotiations, achieve your objective, and then recognize it is time to step away.
Equilibrium – it is important during your negotiating that you remain calm, clear, and able to maintain centered. Emotions play a large role in how we behave, however, as the hiring manager, you must keep emotion out of the equation. Find ways to becoming emotional centered, and remember to keep calm and stay clear minded.

While many of these keys may seem obvious, many hiring managers struggle with negotiating. Whether you choose to believe it or not, negotiating is a big part of your job, so take the time to learn these keys to negotiating success.