SUNDAY REWIND: Quick read: Learning to negotiate — when, why and how

It’s part of a product manager’s job to negotiate with those around them all the time, so skillful negotiating can make your life (and that of your team) much easier.

If you see negotiation as a time to go into combat mode, then it’s time for a rethink. Good negotiation, where everyone has contributed to an agreed outcome, helps to build better relationships and can make an immense contribution to business success. There’s always an opportunity for a mutually beneficial “elegant” solution.

Below are Mind the Product’s top tips for negotiating successfully

1. If you feel uncomfortable about negotiation, reframe it as a creative endeavour and the opportunity to create a solution that meets everyone’s needs. Doing this can turn a negative experience into a positive one.
2. Prepare by looking for mutually beneficial solutions. Assume positive intent, figure out where the other party is, what they want, and how far towards them you can move.
3. Remember to remove the personal and not to think about what you want, but what the team wants to do.
4. Remove the word “they”. Remember that no matter who you’re negotiating with, you all work for the same business, and empathy goes a long way.
5. Remind people there are only three levers you can pull – you can only negotiate for time, space and resources.

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