Chapter 5. Negotiation. Business owners’ ability to negotiate skillfully is important because typically, whether they realize it or not, they spend hours every week negotiating with subordinates, suppliers, lenders, significant others, children, parents, in-laws, car dealers, and others. | Chapter Negotiation Business owners ability to negotiate skillfully is important because typically whether they realize it or not they spend hours every week negotiating with subordinates suppliers lenders significant others children parents in-laws car dealers and others. Deciding how much to pay a new office manager or where to go to lunch with a client involves negotiation. The office manager may choose to accept less money if 100 percent of health benefits are paid while a client may agree to go for Mexican food if Chinese food will be the choice on the next occasion. Even though all business owners are experienced negotiators they may not be skilled negotiators. Being a skillful negotiator requires patience attentiveness flexibility and awareness of personal negotiation style issues and details of the case as well as the goals and objectives of the other party. Negotiation can be described as nonviolent communication between two or more parties who may have conflicting and common interests in an attempt to reach an agreement that meets the goals of one or both parties. In simple terms negotiation is a process for getting something you want. Gary Karrass author of Negotiate to Close once said We don t get what we want in this life we get what we negotiate. 71 TLFeBOOK 72 PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT NEGOTIATION Many people are afraid to negotiate because of all the stereotypes associated with negotiation. Although business owners spend up to half their time at work negotiating many still feel uncomfortable with the process. Some fear that they may come across to the other party as impolite pushy unfair or even cheap. One common misconception about negotiation is that good negotiators use tactics similar to the stereotypical deceitful conniving used car salesman. Being a good negotiator does not mean you have to resort to being a slick smooth talker. Contrary to popular belief negotiating should not be compared to a game or a war in .
