Feel, Felt, Found

Today’s negotiating strategy could easily take up a whole chapter in a book. I've pared it down to the bare essentials in order to have it fit into one newsletter article.

Whenever I have been negotiating a tough deal with another party, there has inevitably come a time when I needed to change the other person’s mind on some item under negotiation. I have seen many a deal lost because one party refused to budge, and the other party couldn't let an item go. At this point, a skilled negotiator earns his keep, if he has a tool or strategy to break the impasse by getting one of the parties to change their position on the item. One of the best methods I have used, when I had strong information to support my position, is called Feel, Felt, Found.

Basically, I build empathy by acknowledging that I understand the other party’s point. I go on to reiterate their position and state that I have held that belief myself. Finally, I outline the information that caused me to change my mind and brought me to my current position.

Read the rest of this article at The Great Ideazine

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