Blog: The Negotiation Edge

Because you’re reading these words, chances are that you want to become an Assertive negotiator.

Stop it!

It’s time to let go of that desire. The fact that you want to become an Assertive negotiator is hurting your efforts. The reality is: The whole Assertive negotiator persona is factually a detriment to true influence. No ones likes being yelled at.

The Black Swan Group teaches about the three negotiator types: Assertives, Accommodators, and Analysts. According to rough data, negotiators split up evenly into each of these groups. This means you only have a one in three chance of running into an Assertive—your chances of running into an Analyst or an Accommodator are much higher.

Every now and again, the best negotiators find themselves sitting across the table from someone who is nonconfrontational.

Because we are all so accustomed to dealing with counterparts who love to battle, it’s always worth revisiting the most effective ways to deal with nonconfrontational people.

In every negotiation, there are five distinct roles and responsibilities. 

In an ideal world, you would have five different people playing each of these roles. But in the world of high-stakes negotiations, teams don’t always have that luxury.

If you want to get to the next level as a real estate agent, you need to improve your negotiation skills. It’s really that simple.

Real estate agents spend the bulk of their days negotiating with all sorts of people, including clients, appraisers, inspectors, and other agents—which means they need to be exceptional negotiators to succeed in the industry. 

By taking these four steps every time you make a deal, you increase the chances you get the negotiation outcomes you’re aiming for.

Even the most effective real estate agents can always improve.

Whether you’re just starting out in your career or you’ve sold more properties than you can count, you should always do what you can to sharpen your skills.

Women and men are treated differently in the workplace. That’s just the way it is. 

Over the years, The Black Swan Group has found that women have used five specific skills to great effect during negotiations. We call them the Fab Five Skills for Females.

Keep reading to learn these five negotiation tactics and increase the chances you navigate your next negotiation with ease and arrive at your intended outcome.

To get your point across AND save your relationships, implement this mechanism when you’re in a disagreement:

“Before I disagree, let me make sure I can summarize your point of view …”

They will listen. And they will be warned in advance that you have an opposing viewpoint. No one is misled, and your integrity is intact. (Although your integrity was intact anyway. Tactical Empathy™ isn’t agreement. Those of you who have used Tactical Empathy have already found this to be true.)

When a woman sits down at the negotiating table, her counterpart may harbor a number of preconceived notions about her, sometimes consciously but frequently not. Though it certainly doesn’t feel fair because these stereotypes have nothing to do with you as the woman at the table, you will nevertheless need to guard against them to get the results she’s aiming for.

At the end of the day, people like doing business with people they like. 

This is why it’s so important to build rapport as quickly as you can whenever you sit down at the table. Once you’ve established rapport, you’re well on your way to the trust-based influence that is needed to achieve the outcomes you’re hoping for.

Though I’ve retired from active duty, I’m still a reserve deputy in my local county. Recently, a new assistant chief came into the department and wanted to show the rest of the crew that he had power. So he met with the reserves and talked about 10 different projects he wanted to get off the ground.