Are you a good negotiator? Sadly, you might find that when push comes to shove, you aren’t quite as effective a negotiator as you could be. One writer for Business Know-How has observed the particular likelihood of this in salespeople, even though virtually all of them need to negotiate.

Nonetheless, there are occasionally diamonds in the rough among salespeople when it comes to negotiating. When you come across them, you might particularly notice the following traits…

Empathy

Can you picture yourself in someone else’s shoes? This is key to empathy, which is about participating in other people’s feelings or ideas, as the Dummies site reveals. Empathy allows you to recognise how you differ from other people, and relate to them in a way that preserves your identity.

Nonetheless, you might not always show empathy in your responses; you can tackle that discrepancy by acknowledging other people’s behaviours and values during the negotiating process.

Integrity

You can’t expect people to be too vulnerable to your negotiating powers if you fail to show integrity. After all, in showing this, you would be showing honesty and trustworthiness, both of which can strengthen the trust that the other party in the negotiation places in you.

In what precise ways can you show integrity? Examples include following rules, sticking to agreements without needing to be reminded, and giving steadfastly honest answers to questions.

Confidence

There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance, but great sales negotiators stay on the right side of it. That’s because they have instilled such a winning philosophy into themselves that they strongly believe in their ability to strike an agreement amicable to both parties.

However, although their experience may inform such confidence, negotiators must still remember the importance of regularly evaluating and improving themselves for further success. That’s one of many reasons why the sales training we offer in negotiating skills can prove so valuable.

Patience

The path to success isn’t a straight road; it’s more of a zigzag. Top negotiators know this, which is why they aren’t frustrated by occasional speed bumps – whether those are down to being refused, blocked or held back – in their journeys. Those setbacks are all just part of the wider process.

That’s a process capable of ultimately culminating in success – provided that you are sufficiently steadfast and patient to bring it to fruition. Whenever you run into a pain or trial, as long as you persevere, you stand a strong chance of getting to where you want to be eventually.

Flexibility

Negotiating is very much a process of trial and error, and you shouldn’t fear this. As new situations and obstacles emerge, perhaps unexpectedly, you might realise that techniques you had previously honed to effectiveness now seem too blunt for tackling the new threat.

However, when that happens, we suggest that you simply try a
different approach. Inc. explains that you might need to do this in reaction to your audience. Audiences don’t always stay the same in their preferences; it’s a key reason why the business world doesn’t always stay the same, either.