California Divorce Source: Negotiation Tip - Patience and Persistence Are Your Hidden Strengths

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Negotiation Tip - Patience and Persistence Are Your Hidden Strengths

Information Provided by: Susan Jeffries, Esq.

Patience and persistence are two of the most effective weapons in your negotiation arsenal. Winning negotiators know that by staying calm, determined, and focused they gain advantage that translates into favorable deals.

During the negotiation process you test your counterpart's expectations and goals as well as your own. Agreement is reached only after each party is ready to move from the wishful into the realm of the possible. Change takes place over time in small, constant, incremental movements. You cannot rush the process. The right number at the wrong time is the wrong number!

Patience and persistence should be the foundation for all your strategic moves in a negotiation. Use the time effectively to:

Understand the issues.
Build trust and credibility.
Clarify your counterpart's viewpoint.
Identify what your counterpart wants and find ways to answer his or her question: "What's in it for me?"
Acknowledge and accept what your counterpart wants even if you don't intend to give it to him or her.
Identify what message you want your response to send and how best to send that message so your counterpart will respond to you in a way that moves the negotiation forward to a resolution.
Measure your counterpart's strength.
Test your counterpart's resolve.
Find your counterpart's weaknesses.
Discover how your counterpart deals with stress.
Separate wishes from reality.
Change everyone's expectations.
Strategically move the other side toward a favorable outcome.