Perhaps you are a novice to negotiating.  Perhaps you don’t like confrontation or asking for ‘things’.  But many hurdles to effective negotiating are only mental barriers, such as fear and fear is just a mindset.

I’ll repeat that – FEAR is just a mental barrier to effective negotiating and can be overcome.

I have blogged on topics like negotiation before and received several responses and questions regarding different tactics and proper mindset.  This is a two-part blog; this week we delve deeper into effectively overcoming simple mental barriers while the second blog will discuss some sensible strategies to employ and get the best value.

Step 1.  Adjusting your mindset (overcoming the fear).

Some people fear negotiating as much as giving speeches.  People fear rejection and /or the confrontation.

Perhaps you are a novice to negotiating.  Or perhaps you don’t like confrontation.  But fear is just a mindset.  Visualize that you just engaging yourself in a harmless conversation with a complete stranger (that’s right – a stranger!).  You don’t know him/her, and they don’t know you from Adam.

Step 2.  The worst case scenario: prepare yourself for it!

Here it is!  The answer: no!

Let’s put negotiating into context here folks.  The worst that can happen is they say ‘No’.

No!  There I said it again.  Ok, I jest, but was that so bad?   A complete stranger says “no” to us and we can walk away.  That’s the only risk and the worst case scenario.  Don’t be afraid of rejection.  Your pride might be pinched, but that is ego.  And ego has no place at the negotiating table.

Step 3.  Practice. Practice. Practice.

The classic cliché, but still an effective one.  During the process of adjusting your mindset, start to haggle over some small stuff regularly.  Goods that are not urgent or pressing to you.

You don’t go straight into important negotiation with something you really really want.  The less you want it, the better you will negotiate.  Trust me.  Why?  Because your mindset is relaxed and prepared to walk away.   Its No Deal.

And having a relaxed mind and knowing you can walk away,  is one of the keys to effective negotiating.