Business negotiations are one of the main components of modern business. Much depends on their success - the development of the company, the attraction of new clients and partners and, of course, the salaries of managers. The sooner a novice employee learns how to behave correctly at important business meetings, the sooner he will earn the gratitude of the management and get a ticket to the very top of the career ladder.
Preparing for business negotiations: what you need to know and do in advance
Preparing for an important meeting takes an experienced manager almost more time than the negotiations themselves. In order to properly conduct a conversation and interest potential partners and clients, you need not only to know well what your own company is doing. It is very important to study the company of the partner or client. You need to find out what the company does, what product it produces, how many brands it has. In a business conversation, all this is very important.
Before important negotiations, it is necessary to prepare a brand book - a small booklet that colorfully tells about everything the organization does. There shouldn't be a lot of text - only the most necessary information. It is better to add more pictures - photos of the product being manufactured, profit growth graphs, etc. The booklet is needed for clarity, and it is better to voice the bulk of information in words.
In addition to the brand book, you can show your interlocutors a short film about the company and offer a presentation in which the main advantages of cooperation will be presented. After negotiations, it is better to transfer all materials to partners or clients in electronic form, so that they can once again familiarize themselves with them in their office and more competently present the subject of negotiations to the management.
Negotiation: what to be prepared for
If the preparation for the business meeting was carried out correctly and in the right amount, most likely there will be no surprises in the negotiations. However, it is worth preparing for the fact that potential customers and partners will ask not very convenient questions. For example, about cooperation with other companies of a common profile with them. In this case, it is better to limit yourself to general phrases. Business information disclosed about competitors can harm not only their business, but also the home company. It is very easy to lose clients and partners due to excessive talkativeness.
If the business meeting takes place on the premises of the company, the host country is introduced first. Then - the guests who came to the negotiations. After that, it is worth offering tea or coffee, distributing materials prepared in advance and starting to discuss the subject of the meeting. The first stage - getting to know the company, its services and products - does not need to be delayed. 10-15 minutes is enough. After that, if the guests have no questions, you can go directly to information about possible options for cooperation.
If negotiations have dragged on, it is better to take a break in an hour and a half. Offer drinks and snacks to your interlocutors. After 10-15 minutes, you can continue negotiations.
If it becomes clear that guests are not yet overly interested in collaborating, ask them to share how they would see the ideal partnership. After that, try to present the company in the light that is most beneficial for the interlocutors. Dialogue is an important part of successful negotiations. Partners and clients should not feel that everything has already been decided. They need to be shown that their opinion is extremely important and very significant for a successful collaboration.
If negotiations are dragging on, but they still do not lead to anything, schedule another meeting in a week and a half. Most likely, the interlocutors do not have the right to make an independent decision, they need to consult with the management. And next time, try to ensure that not only managers come to the negotiations, but also a leading employee who has the right to say the final "yes" or "no".
Analysis of negotiations
During negotiations, it is necessary to mark in a notebook which theses caused the most vivid reaction of the interlocutors - both positive and negative. This will help analyze what to focus on during the next meeting, and how to further build cooperation with the maximum benefit for both companies. Thus, you can save precious time by not offering the client and partner activities that are completely uninteresting for them and focusing their attention on the fact that the volumes of productive cooperation can be increased and bring undoubted benefits.
