第七章谈判的准备

　　理解了谈判的一些基本要素之后，本章将讲述如何做好谈判前的准备工作。准备工作应主要集中在下面四个方面：收集事实材料；制定谈判大纲；确定谈判时机和地点；分配团队成员在谈判中应该各自扮演的角色。其中，在收集事实材料的过程中，应该注意理性和感性这两方面的材料。在制定谈判大纲时，应该注意自己在哪些方面可以让步，在哪些方面必须强硬。在确定谈判时机和地点时，应该注意利用这两个因素给对方施加压力。在分配角色时，应该注意彼此之间的分工合作。

Collecting Facts收集材料

　　In preparation for any negotiation, it is critical to accumulate as much information as you can, both empirical and empathetical.

　　As for empirical facts, with access to the internet, there is no reason why you can’t be armed with as much empirical data as you want. If you’re buying a car, there are hundreds of Web sites that can give you information on price and on the dealer’s actual cost. If you’re negotiating for a job or a raise, you want to know what others in the organization-or others in similar jobs in other organizations-are earning. In a labor negotiation, you want comparative wage data for the geographic region and for the industry in question. A virtually unlimited supply of information is available to you through the federal government and through the Internet. You should employ all of these sources in advance of your negotiation, so you’re armed with the facts and so you can use these facts to make and bolster your case with your counterpart.

　　Those are the empirical facts. Equally important is the empathy.“Empathy”includes a person’s or an organization’s background, history, drive, motivation, mission, dreams, goals, fears, aversions, hopes, and aspirations. First, get to know the organization. For example, if you are set to negotiate with asgroupsof environmentalists who are angry with your company, who are they? What is their agenda? Talk to colleagues who have dealt with them in the past. Check their Web site. How difficult or reasonable are they? What have been their demands? What did others in your situation do to solve the problem, that is, what did others have to agree to insgroupsto settle the dispute? Are they earnest and interested in reaching an agreement or only in grabbing headlines? You can’t have enough information on the organization goingsintosa negotiation.

　　For example, let’s say you are trying to rent an apartment. Some information you may want to gather before you negotiate would include:

　　1. What other apartments in the building are renting for.

　　2. What comparable apartments in the neighborhood are renting for.

　　3. What comparable apartments are asking as a security deposit.

　　4. What other apartments offer in terms of view.

　　5. The history of maintenance in the building.

　　6. The satisfaction of the other tenants in the building.

　　7. What the other tenants are like in the building.

　　8. If the other tenants have pets.

　　9. If there are stores/facilities near the apartment.

　　10. What the noise levels in the neighborhood are.

　　11. What the parking situation in the neighborhood are.

　　12. If there is a broker, how she is paid.

　　13. If there is a broker, whether she lives in the neighborhood.

　　14. What kind of security the building has.

　Working Out a Negotiation Scheme制定谈判提纲

　　Concentrate on factors that will affect the overall outcome, and compare the alternatives in terms of total costs involved. Remember that it should be clear to yourself in advance just what is negotiable on your part, i.e. on what points you will be open to accepting certain changes. These are changes that can affect cost, risk or profit. As an example, suppose you are buying other company’s product and you are willing to be flexible on the following matters:

　　Payment arrangements: You could agree to make an ad vance payment.

　　Delivery times: You would prefer faster delivery, since this would enable you to begin production sooner.

　　Service: You could consider making a service agreement with the supplier.

　　After this, you will need to determine how flexible you can be, and in what areas, as well as how much flexibility you will expect from the supplier:

　　Payment arrangements: You would be prepared to make an advance payment of up to 50 percent.

　　Delivery times: Since getting ready to start the production will take at least six months, there is nothing to gain from an earlier delivery, though you are likely to suffer a loss if delivery is late.

　　Service: You would be willing to sign a service agreement of up to five years.

　　After determining your degree of flexibility, the next problem to anticipate will be the effects such changes might have on you. Would your costs rise or be reduced? Would your gross receipts increase? Would the risk you are exposed to decrease? Attempt if possible to express such consequences in monetary terms:

　　Payment arrangements: Making an advance payment costs you something and involves risk. If making an advance payment of 50 percent means paying the seller＄200,000, plus taking out a 30-day loan for this amount based on 10 percent per annum interest charges, your interest costs would be＄1,667.

　　Delivery times: In the event of a late delivery, you have calculated that each month you have to wait beyond the first agreed upon six months will cost you＄12,500.

　　Service: A service contract with an outside organization would cost you＄25,000 a year. You consider this to be the most that a service agreement with the supplier should cost.

　Deciding When and Where确定时间和地点

　　The Timing of Negotiation

　　Many negotiators are not result-oriented. This makes for long, drawn out negotiations, often with no result in the end. Such negotiators can become very much pressed for time. If an agreement is reached, they may feel they have been forcedsintosmaking a poor decision. Time pressure may cause both negotiators to lower their goals. Such negotiation may do more harm than good.

　　On the other hand, you may consciously use a strategy of delay. Creating time pressure is a well-known way of getting the other party to agree. If he is more intent on reaching an agreement than you are, this puts him at a psychological disadvantage. He may then end up reducing his margins or profit simply to meet the deadline.

　　Example

　　“Hey Mike–I’m calling you to see if you’ve made a decision on my offer.”

　　“I’m thinking about it, Carlos. It’s not everything I’d like.”

　　“Well then, make me a counteroffer.”

　　“I made you my first offer. Then you came back at me with this.

　　Why did you think my position would change?”

　　“It’s just that it’s coming up on the end of the year, and I’d like to be able to tell my kids we’ve bought a great skicabin in Vermont.”

　　“I’d love to be able to help you, Carlos, but I’ve really got to think about it.”

　　“I’ll tell you what–I’ll give you three thousand more. But that’s all I can pay.”

　　“That’s great. I’ll think about it.”

　　“You’ll think about it? I’m offering you more money.”

　　“And I’m going to think about it.”

　　“What do you want? What more could you want?”

　　Mike and Carlos are runningsintosa common problem that takes hold of deals and pressures one side or anothersintosmaking a decision. Each side places a different value on the timing of the deal. Timing is one of the most important features of any negotiation and it pays to figure out how to use it to your advantage. Many negotiators make the mistake of assuming that the pace and the timing of their deal has no effect on the outcome. Large-scale and small-scale negotiations alike rely heavily on timing, and the success or failure of many negotiations can be directly related to how smart one side is in using timing to their advantage.

　　The Place of Negotiation

　　Choose an appropriate place to meet for negotiations. Being at your home base can give you a sense of security. You also save time, have better access to expertise and documents, and you do not have to travel anywhere. It also makes it easier for you to take the initiative.

　　At the same time, being at their place would allow you to delay proceedings by indicating that there are certain important documents or information you do not have. If you’re a buyer, there is also the opportunity you will have while there of gaining an impression of the supplier’s production capacity, to what extent the capacity is used, and how much they have in stock. You may also go to meet various people of interest who are not taking part in the negotiations.

　　Assigning Roles to Different Members of Your Negotiating Team分配谈判角色

　　If the matters you are to take up are sufficiently important, you should have a team of negotiators to help representing you. In selecting those who are to participate, you should assign each an appropriate role. It may be too difficult for a single negotiator to not only lead the discussion, but also listen to what others say, observe what goes on, assimilate new information, analyze what has been said, keep track of new angles that appear and be an expert in the various areas involved. However, negotiating as asgroupswill be difficult if thesgroupslacks discipline and the roles assigned are unclear. Asgroupscan only have one leader.

　　The traditional division of roles between a chief negotiator, a technical expert, an economic advisor, and a lawyer, etc. is often not very satisfactory. The chief negotiator has a role somewhat analogous to that of an orchestra conductor. He takes the initiative in discussions, speaks for the group, makes decisions, and determines when other members should be broughtsintosthe discussion. He should assign the following supportive roles to other members of the group:

　　A listener, whose main task is to listen to what is being said, observe what is going on and take detailed notes. During pauses in the proceedings, this person should be able to summarize for the others what has happened, what openings have appeared, how he feels the other party has reacted, what signals he feels the other party is trying to convey, and to what extent negotiations are proceeding as planned. Since the listener concentrates simply on listening and observing, he is in a much better position than anyone else in thesgroupsto form an accurate picture of how things are proceeding.

　　An evaluator, who quickly digests new information that comes up and analyzes what it means, how it can be utilized, what economic implications it has and what solutions to the problems it suggests. This person is basically a navigator.

　　An alternative discussion leader, who can take over as a discussion leader when the need arises. By doing so, the chief negotiator has time to think, to digest information, or simply focus on listening to and observing the other party.

　　Each of these people can have a double or multiple roles, such as being an expert in one or more of the areas involved. However, it is the chief negotiator who calls upon each of the others in whatever role is required when the need arises. It is also he who makes all the important decisions.

　　Members should also agree in advance on how to communicate with each other. They should know how to warn the others if they realize that the chief negotiator isshavingsdifficulties, that he has missed a signal or that he is headed for a trap. Members may decide that, when this happens, they will send notes to each other, kick each other under the table, whisper in each others- ears, suggest taking a break, say,“Just a minute! I don’t agree,”or whatever.

　　Before going from one question to the next, the leader might also turn to thesgroupsand ask,“Do any of you have any thoughts or questions you’d like to express? Can we go on? Are we able to make a decision now or should we take a break?”This will allow the others to get in on the act in an appropriate way.

　Summary总结

There are basically four aspects you should pay attention to when preparing for a negotiation. Firstly, you should collect both empirical and empathetical facts. Secondly, you should make a negotiation scheme outlining on what you can make compromises and what you can’t. Thirdly, you should decide when and where. And finally, you should establish a well-coordinated team, in which each member is aware of the role they are supposed to play.