Common Mistakes

Good tactics and knowing how to cope with the other side’s ploys will take you far as a negotiator. But be wary of tripping yourself up. Like tennis players, many negotiators lose games through their own mistakes. Research has found that the following are the most common kinds of mistakes negotiators make:

• Being inadequately prepared. Like anything else in life, you have to be prepared. Do you know what you want and need? Do you know what you can give up? Do you know the same about your opponent? Do you know your best alternative to a deal with the other side, and the price or conditions under which you would be better off by walking away?

• Trying to win at any cost. This kind of error is fed by a number of psychological factors, ...

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