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How to prepare for a business meeting. How to prepare for the first meeting with a potential client Prepare presentation materials

Have you ever had difficulty coming up with topics to talk about when meeting someone for the first time and subsequently communicating with them?

When attending a business event, do you already know in advance who you want to meet or do you act according to the situation? And if you have an interview, negotiations with a client, or you have agreed to have a cup of coffee with an interesting journalist: Do you know at least something about your interlocutor or are you also going to find out everything along the way?

My advice today is that you try to prepare for absolutely every meeting, event, event in your life.

After all, sometimes, coming to a meeting unprepared, we risk losing our interlocutor forever, making a fatal first impression on him.

Problem

We all know how important it is to be prepared for business meeting. It doesn't matter if it's a meeting with potential client/investor on whom our financial well-being depends, or we are simply invited to coffee with a new acquaintance.

How do we usually prepare for meetings? Some repeat, some pay attention to the history of the client company, some select a suit, and some do both.

The only problem is that all of the above actions sometimes have no effect on the outcome of the meeting itself. Yes, perhaps you will demonstrate your skills, interest your interlocutor thanks to the “basic” information that you know about the market or its company, but the main problem will remain unresolved. The problem is that at the meeting itself we were as distant from our interlocutor as we remain at a distance from him.

What's the idea? We all know how sometimes it is very important to create that “informal trust” and win over your interlocutor. Not as a “representative of company X”, but as a person, an individual. Even if your meeting is purely business (for example, discussing a contract), the human factor will sometimes be the main prerequisite for a positive outcome for you. After all, if the client doesn’t like you as a person, then they probably won’t choose you.

Question: So how can you create this very trust at the first meeting?

Solution

From a networking perspective, a great tool for achieving this goal is homework—a special preparation process before a meeting.

Task: In the process of preparing for a meeting, try to find the following set of data about your interlocutor:

Points of contact

Has it ever happened to you that you have been communicating with a person for a long time, perhaps it is your colleague at work or a neighbor, and suddenly you suddenly find out that you share one big fact, for example, you graduated from the same university.

Surely your attitude towards this person would change dramatically. Of course, the best side. It seemed like he was getting closer.

What if this happened not after several years of dating, but at the first or second meeting. Surely, this would affect not only the first impression of each other, but also the development of relationships in general. Perhaps now you could be best friends or business partners! Why not?

This could be achieved if you tried to get to know your interlocutor in advance. For example, before going to new job, decided to meet future colleagues in absentia and study their profiles on social media. networks, where they would have found out that Alexey also graduated from HSE!

What's the idea? In order to find common ground with a future acquaintance, thereby gaining confidence in him, spend 5-10 minutes analyzing him social networks. Today, it is this platform that is sometimes the main golden chest for learning more about a person than he himself can tell.

If a person is “old school”, he is not on any social network. networks and nothing is written on the Internet either, then the task, of course, becomes more complicated. Here is a recommendation to connect your connections and try to ask colleagues, acquaintances who have had contact with this person before.

During PD, try, first of all, to find those things that you have “in common” with the person, so that you can later mention them in dialogue, thereby creating a higher level of trust.

This information can be presented in different ways: “I accidentally saw a repost of news X on your page. Do you also see the future in cybernetics?”, “Listen, by chance you haven’t been involved in martial arts, otherwise I’ll recognize the structure of your ears :)”, etc.

Resume: Common ground is what separates you from “Hello, my name is” to “Hey, buddy!” How quickly this transition will take place depends on how well you know how to find these points and submit them.

Topics for conversation

Case: I remember once at the beginning of my career I had a meeting with the head of the department of one faculty of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. I was recommended as an expert who could give a course of lectures on networking for local students. The meeting had the prefix “very important” for me, because then it would be my first experience of speaking to a large audience.

Before the meeting, I naturally paid considerable attention to preparation, namely to the analysis of the pages of my counterpart, Sergei. And among other things, I came up with 3-4 points for myself that I could mention during the conversation.

One of them: Sergei’s passion for running. I myself am not such a fan of running that I can talk about it for hours, but I respect all those who share healthy image life, because I do it myself.

That is why, when the “official part” of the meeting ended and Sergei suggested moving from the meeting room to the chill-out zone, in response to his question “Mikhail, what else are you doing?” I did not hesitate to turn the dialogue into a sports topic. After which, unexpectedly for the interlocutors, but expected for me, we started talking about running, which continued for about 10 minutes. Or rather, I listened and listened more to the stories about Sergei’s various races and office victories of his company.

Subsequently, the result of the meeting was positive for me, and the next time we met with him, he admitted that it was very pleasant for him that “we talked so well about sports then! Mikhail, how would you like to participate with our team in the next marathon?”

What's the idea? If I had not taken the time in advance to carefully study Sergei’s interests and find potential topics for conversation in order to create an informal and personal connection with the interlocutor, then the conversation would probably have gone in a different direction and, perhaps, not entirely beneficial for me , so the first impression would be different - rather not so bright.

When preparing before an important meeting, think in advance not about what you could talk to the person about, but what would he be interested in talking about with you? What are his interests? Don't they go against yours? If they do, then there’s no point in forcing yourself to talk about this topic.

Pay attention to:

Person's subscriptions. For example, if a person’s first two subscriptions are public pages about cars, then most likely this is one of his main hobbies. We fix it.
Public reposts. Often people repost a limited set of pages, usually their favorite ones. For example, out of 10 reposts there are 6 groups about artificial intelligence. Signal for us. We record it in a notebook.
Informal photographs. If a person follows his personal brand, then on his page you can hardly see anything personal, that is, something that will tell about his hobbies.

However, pay attention to details. Even the most avid brand managers post photos from their travels, big holidays, concerts they attended: if this does not go against your interests, then these are excellent topics for conversation.

Utility

Demonstrating your desire to help another person in solving any of their problems has an unusually strong influence on the first impression.

If during the very first dialogue we tactfully offer our help to our interlocutor, we thereby, as if to ourselves, say how important this interlocutor is to us and how seriously we are interested in developing relations with him.

The only problem is that during the first communication, be it with a client, a candidate, a partner, a future friend, we rarely allow ourselves to talk about abstract or personal topics. Therefore, it is very difficult to identify the real “pains” of the interlocutor.

By devoting a little time to homework in advance, we may see how we can really be useful to him. For example, the first pinned post on our new friend’s page is a post-request to find a designer for the project: “I’m glad for any recommendations.”

Great! During the dialogue you can mention this:

- Alexander, you know, by the way; I was interested in your activities, wanted to read about you on the Internet and came across a Facebook page. I found out that you are currently looking for a designer. I think I could help you with this. I have…

To a person:

I’m very pleased that you even took the time to get to know him before the meeting and find out more about him.
I’m doubly pleased that you didn’t just run past his “problem post” but studied it and offered your help unselfishly.

Thus, for the interlocutor, this is a direct signal of your interest in him and your desire to develop communication.

Thus, the maximum task when preparing for a potential meeting is to find the “pains” of our interlocutor and think through in advance the options for offering solutions to them.

To find these pains pay attention:

Wall. Very often, when someone has a question about quickly finding something or someone (for example, a designer for a project or a photographer for a wedding), we throw this request into the feed. By searching a little in history, almost every person can find some question. Even if a person has already solved it, we can still raise this topic in order to show how else we could be useful in the future.
Recommendations. Check if you have “mutual acquaintances” with him. It often happens that we have several mutual acquaintances with a stranger whom we know well or relatively well and from whom we can ask about this person. Ask what the person does and if he has any current affairs that we could help with.

What you can't talk about, you won't think through properly.

This aphorism from the works of Johann W. Goethe best demonstrates the importance of the stage of preparing a sales manager, together with his colleagues and manager, to communicate with a client.

Our article is devoted to how to properly prepare for the first meeting with a potential client.

Tasks of the preparation stage for the first meeting

At the first meeting, the client determines for himself the circle of suppliers with whom he will continue to interact. If you “lose” the first meeting, then most likely there will be no chance of further development of the relationship. But if you do it well, the chances increase greatly.

For high-quality and complete preparation for a business meeting, it is necessary to allocate at least one hour of working time for one employee and 20 minutes for all other participants.

Based on the results of preparing for a meeting with a potential client, all participants on your side should have the same understanding at key points:

1. History

What do we know about this company?
Who is the initiator of the meeting?
At what stage are we in our relationship with this client?

2. Counterparty

Who exactly will represent the client company at the meeting?
What are these employees responsible for and at what level of decisions do they make in the company?

3. Goals

What goal do we set before the negotiations?
What period of cooperation do we expect with this client?
What can slow down the start/development of cooperation on our part?

4. Scenario

Main scenario
Backup scenarios. It is better to prepare several options in advance (“what do we do if ...”)

5. Distribution of roles

Each team member has his own role in the team game. Who are you? Leader, expert, observer, protocol taker, etc.
What internal information do you NOT bring up for discussion with the client?

The role of the manager in preparing for a meeting with a client

Must act as a leader and mentor for his employees - sales managers. The manager’s task before a meeting with a client is to prepare the sales manager, for example, using the following practice: train, show, motivate.

Train. After analyzing previous meetings with clients, you can discuss with the manager what strengths and weaknesses he had in conducting negotiations and making transactions. As a result, a constructive analysis of existing experience will help the sales manager not to step on the same “rake” or, on the contrary, to consolidate successes in proven ways.

Show. Always work better vivid images and examples rather than talk. Use all available tools to prepare for the meeting - draw diagrams, demonstrate the key stages of the meeting in action.

Motivate. Explain the significance of these negotiations and the result itself, not only for the company as a whole, but also for him personally. Involve the sales manager in the process of preparing for the meeting with your participation.

What should you check immediately before the meeting?

The checklist we offer will allow you to control the most pressing issues of a manager’s self-preparation for a business meeting.

1. Discuss the meeting agenda with the client. This will require a short phone call, or email client to discuss the following topics:

Who plans to attend the meeting on the client's side?
What questions are the client primarily interested in?
Do we need a presentation on our part? And what would the client like to see in the presentation?

2. Resolve organizational issues with the client

Order a pass for passage or travel to the internal territory
Agree how long before the meeting it is advisable to be there

3. Update the goals of the meeting. Think and discuss with your manager the goals you want to achieve at the end of the meeting. Have a main goal, and 2-3 additional goals that would also be nice to achieve. Write down these goals, then you will check their achievement.

4. Think about compliments to the client. They will help, as well as defuse the “heated” situation during the conversation, if the situation requires it.

5. Think over questions for the client. Prepare and write down 5-7 questions in advance about possible client problems. It is worth mentioning that experienced sales managers have an established arsenal of favorite questions. Here are some of my examples of such questions:

What is most important to you in this matter? Why is this so important to you?
Have you tried to solve this problem yourself? Why did you decide to turn to a third-party company for help?
Why did you start working on this task now? What was the reason?
Why did you turn to us with this task?
Are there any other circumstances that may affect our agreement?
What alternatives do you have? Which of our colleagues (competitors) did you contact?

6. Prepare a list of possible difficulties on our side. Formulate and write down 3-5 possible obstacles to working with this client. Examples of problems on our side:

It is likely that we will not be able to quickly begin implementing the project, since our capacities are loaded
The client may think that we lack experience in implementing similar projects
Our offer is one of the most expensive on the market

As you probably guessed, if you understand the possible obstacles in advance, then you can think of a solution to them. By the time you meet with your client, you should have answers to all of these objections.

7. Prepare presentation materials

What should I bring to a meeting with a client?
What will I demonstrate?
What will the client have after the meeting?

8. Prepare all necessary accessories and documents. Business cards, a document for access to the client’s territory, a notepad, a laptop with charger, directions, printed materials, branded booklets and gifts for the client.

Conclusion

The purpose of the first meeting with the client is to ensure the progress of the transaction, that is, to ensure that the client takes the next step towards us.

We do not recommend neglecting preparation for the first meeting with a potential client - the risks of wasting precious meeting time are too great. To do this, all meeting participants need to agree on key points in advance.

Andrey Barsukov, leading consultant at Clientbridge

Hello! In this article we will talk about how to conduct the first meeting with a client so that it develops into long-term cooperation.

Today you will learn:

What are the stages of meeting with a client?
How to prepare for upcoming negotiations;
A few tricks business etiquette that will help you quickly establish contact with a potential client.

The importance of the first meeting and its purpose

For a person who, as he fulfills his job responsibilities must find new clients and meet them, the first meeting is of great importance. The signing of the contract and, most often, the size depend on how successfully the negotiations go. Therefore, such an event must be approached very responsibly.

When going to negotiations with a client, you must understand that the first meeting does not always end with the signing of a contract close cooperation. This is only the first step towards a successful business relationship.

When meeting with a potential client for the first time, you first of all need to pursue the following goals:

Determine whether the client is promising and ready to cooperate;
Form the primary needs of the interlocutor;
Decide on the range of goods and services that are of interest to the client;
Offer to use free product samples (samples);
Ask your interlocutor to express his opinion about the product you are offering.

The main purpose of the meeting is not to sell the product, but to sell yourself. You must do everything in your power to achieve goodwill and interest from the client.

Preparing for a meeting with a client

In order for the first negotiations to be successful, it is necessary to carefully prepare for them. You'll have to think through all the details. You should not rely on yourself to find your way around. You need to be prepared for anything. To do this, you will have to develop several plans for the development of events.

All preparation can be divided into 2 stages - informational and organizational.

Information stage

Before planning a meeting, you should collect as much information as possible about your potential client.

Firstly, collect information about the field of activity of your future interlocutor. Read more specialized literature, try to remember as many specific terms as possible that may be useful during the conversation.

Secondly, go to the website of the organization that the client represents and familiarize yourself with its contents. Study the management team and analyze all available information.

Thirdly, take an interest in the activities of competitors, as well as their possible offers. Thanks to this, you will be able to offer your interlocutor more favorable conditions cooperation.

Fourth, thoroughly study the product you offer. You must know every detail about the products or services that you offer to the client. If you cannot adequately present your product at the upcoming negotiations, then it is unlikely that anyone will want to deal with such an inexperienced employee.

Organizational stage

At this stage, you should start organizing the upcoming meeting. First you need to assign it.

To do this, call your potential client and find out where, when and at what time it will be convenient for him to meet with you. Set specific dates. When arranging a meeting, take into account the wishes of the interlocutor.

Let's look at examples of meeting locations.

Client territory	This is most often the client's office. It is possible to prepare for such a meeting, but most often you have to act according to circumstances
Your territory	This could be yours personal account, or meeting room. You should not make appointments in a room where there are many prying eyes and you may be distracted. Under no circumstances should you start negotiations in the corridors or on the way somewhere
Neutral territory	This could be a rented conference room or extreme case quiet coffee shop. Never have a meeting in a restaurant. You and the client will have to be distracted by food and wait for someone to chew the food. Keep meals separate from business meetings.

Any meeting place should be quiet and uncrowded.

After the client has accepted the offer of a meeting, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare for it. Think about what gadgets and demo materials you will need.

You must have with you:

A diary or business notebook in which you will write down information that you think is important;
Business cards – should be meaningful, but at the same time concise;
Pen;
Blank sheets of paper (if the meeting takes place in a coffee shop and the client does not have a diary at hand);
Blank contracts, questionnaires or order forms (in case you organize the right meeting and the client immediately wants to conclude an agreement);
Advertising brochures - the client needs to be presented with visual information, and not talk about the product “on fingers”.

Having prepared the necessary attributes for negotiations, you must prepare yourself. As the proverb says, “People are greeted by their clothes...”, so your appearance may play a key role.

When going to an appointment, you should:

Find business clothes in your wardrobe. This could be a suit + shirt + tie. Or a suit and turtleneck. Women can wear a skirt and blouse or pantsuit. You should feel comfortable in these clothes.
Refuse extravagant, ultra-modern and provocative outfits.
Tidy your hands and hair. Women's makeup should not be bright and provocative.
Pay attention to your shoes and clean them if necessary.
Refuse cheap accessories and fakes of famous brands. Many wealthy people at first glance distinguish cheap Chinese counterfeits of watches, lighters and other accessories from the original. If you cannot afford expensive branded items, then it is better to abandon them completely.

Step-by-step instructions or meeting script

You, as a person who wants to negotiate, need to understand that preparation alone is not enough for successful negotiations. You should be familiar with meeting protocol and basic business etiquette.

We have compiled an action algorithm for you, thanks to which the first meeting with a client will be at the highest level, and you, as a specialist, will be left with the best impressions.

Enter the office. If you are meeting with a client in his office, and your arrival has been reported, enter the office by knocking. You do not need to ask permission to log in again.
If the meeting takes place on neutral territory, then you need to arrive 5-10 minutes before the appointed time.
Greet the client. Say hello using your first and last name.

At the client's premises, the client should be the first to extend his hand to greet. If he did not do this, then the handshake does not occur.
In your territory, you are obligated to extend your hand first.
In a coffee shop, men extend their hands to women, older ones to younger ones.

Exchange business cards. Business card must be handed over in person. If a client offers you his business card, you should definitely read it out loud. You can't put it in your pocket without looking and familiarizing yourself with it.
Sit on the chair. If the negotiations are taking place in the client’s office, then wait until you are asked to sit down. If you don’t receive an offer, ask where you can sit. If the meeting is taking place on neutral territory, then there is no need to wait for an invitation to take a chair.
Start a conversation. It is necessary to start negotiations with abstract topics. It's best if you give a compliment to the client's company. Only he must be sincere. Do not touch upon topics related to religion, politics, or sports interests. It is also better to refrain from banal topics about the weather and the beautiful interior of the office.
After talking on general topics, move on to the presentation situational issues. Start asking them carefully, “testing the waters.”
Then move on to more serious ones problematic issues and suggest ways to solve the identified problems. Make a short forecast for future cooperation.
If the client wishes, you can sign a cooperation agreement. But don't insist on it. Very often a person needs to “digest” the information received.
It is better to end the meeting with an agreement on the date and time of the next meeting. Even if it turns out that the client is not interested, still ask him to meet with you again.
Say goodbye to your interlocutor, thank you for your time and leave the room.
After the negotiations, write down the most important things in your diary important points and meeting details.

There are situations when a meeting is prepared and organized at the highest level, and everything goes great, but at some point something happens and the client withdraws into himself. After which the negotiations cannot be considered successful.

Most likely, some mistake was made that played a decisive role.

To eliminate the possibility of such a scenario developing, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following recommendations and always adhere to them:

Disable mobile phone. Calls will distract you in every possible way, and if you decide to pick up the phone in the middle of negotiations, then you will show disrespect for your interlocutor.
Don't try to smoke.
If a client offers you tea, coffee or water, then opt for water. After asking for coffee, you will receive several more questions (for example, how many spoons of sugar to put in or what kind of coffee you prefer). They will distract you and take up valuable time.
Look your interlocutor straight in the eyes. You must make eye contact.
During negotiations, periodically make notes and notes.
Don't fawn or fawn. Behave with dignity; this is the only way the client will treat you as an equal.
Let the client know that you respect his interlocutor’s opinion and are ready to defend his interests.

Conclusion

The first meeting is a serious and important stage on the path to long-term cooperation. Often it is she who decides the fate of future business relationships. Therefore, the organizer of such a meeting faces a difficult task - to prepare, organize and conduct the upcoming negotiations at the highest level.

A tool for those who have difficulty negotiating

Jim Kemp's book, First Say No, is included in all employee training plans. It helps to immerse yourself in the world of your interlocutor and help him make the right decision.

But theory alone is not enough, practice is needed. When I see that an employee is unable to prepare for a meeting, I suggest that for several weeks he fill out a meeting card before each meeting with a client or call with a colleague.

What is a negotiation card

I first learned about the negotiation card from Nikolai Toverovsky’s blog. This is a tool that helps you prepare for negotiations and practice your skills. You can fill out the card in any convenient form: with a pen in a notepad, in notes on a computer, or in a Google form. The main thing is to do it thoughtfully.

The card can be used to prepare for a meeting with a client, personal planning meetings, meetings with colleagues and any other negotiations. In preparation, a person formulates a mission, determines a budget and baggage, draws up a conversation plan and writes down the desired outcome of the negotiations. As a result, negotiations are clearer and more effective for all participants.

Over time, the need for a negotiation card disappears. This happens when a person develops the habit of preparing for meetings and they go according to plan.

Negotiation mission

The mission is a guideline in negotiations. It helps convince your interlocutor that with your help his life will become better. During difficult negotiations, a mission helps to remove fears and stay on the right course.

If I see that the discussion suddenly dies down, but the meeting itself seems to continue sluggishly, this is a bell that the participants do not have a mission or they do not fully understand it. Because of this, they do not fully understand why they are here, what they want to convey to each other and what decisions to make.

To define a mission, you need to understand your benefit to the interlocutor, and then help him see this benefit. For example, “to help my interlocutor see how useful I am to him” is quite a mission, albeit an abstract one. But it is better, of course, to formulate the mission as specifically as possible.

Talk about the importance operational plan in the work of the contact center

Help you see the risks if no one controls the implementation of the operational plan

It is important that the mission is not just for show, but is perceived as necessary tool. Otherwise, the negotiator will not follow it.

Baggage

Baggage is any circumstances that may prevent you from fulfilling what you agree on. For example, you agree with a colleague about the timing of a project. You know that in the middle of the project a key specialist goes on vacation and there is a risk of not delivering the project on time. At the very beginning of negotiations, you need to inform your interlocutor about this so that there is no misunderstanding.

To find luggage, consider what conditions seem questionable and where difficulties might arise. For example: “There is a fear that we will not cope with the task, because we have not done this before.” Write it down on a card and don’t forget to discuss it.

I'll squeeze it in somehow new project to your schedule

I can only devote five hours a week to a new project. Is this enough? If not, let's figure something out.

It's important to keep your baggage honest. Your task is to convey to the participant possible risks and minimize misunderstandings when discussing projects and tasks.

Budget: time, energy, money and emotions

A negotiation budget is how much time, energy, money and emotion you can spend on it. Until the budget is spent, you can soberly assess the situation and control the negotiations.

How much will it take

20 minutes time for meeting

Think about how many resources you are willing to spend and agree on this with your team. If the budget is running out, you need to raise this issue and decide whether it is possible to make a final decision now or whether more time is needed. If you need more time, is it possible to allocate it now or is it better to schedule an additional meeting.

In negotiations with colleagues, it is easy to deviate from the main topic and waste your budget on empty talk. To prevent negotiations from draining your budget, politely ask your colleagues to return to the topic if they have strayed from it.

Continue useless conversations

Friends, we have deviated from the topic, and we only have 20 minutes

The decision you want to make

A written decision will help you remember why you came to these negotiations. It happens that interlocutors are distracted by other problems that seem more important to them. Because of this, they easily lose their thoughts and switch to another topic. As a result, they do not have time to solve half of the questions.

To achieve results, formulate in advance the decision you want to make at the end of the negotiations and write it down on a card.

Figure it out on the spot

Agree with the manager on a specific action plan for the development of the contact center: who is doing what and by when

The key factor on which tactics depend is self-esteem. If it is stable and sustainable, then the person will try to negotiate constructively and mutually beneficial. If a person feels insecure, then he will “get on the defensive” and be afraid of losing. If she is unreasonably tall, she will try to compete and “pull the blanket” over herself. In these two cases, the person himself behaves destructively. But in both cases, he believes that the problem lies with the negotiating partner. A kind of “blind spot” principle occurs when a person is able to understand and notice everything, except for the reason that creates problems in negotiations.

Adequate self-esteem is developed by surrounding yourself with a large number of people who can and want to tell you the truth about yourself. They are not employees of your company, not managers or colleagues, but your friends and comrades with whom you are in good relations. If you are adequate in your self-esteem, then you are adequate both in negotiations with partners and in personal communication.

What to think about in advance

Negotiation styles can be roughly divided into two types: emotional and rational. When going to a meeting, think about how your partner prefers to behave.

If his communication style can be called rational, one should focus on measurable indicators of negotiations and, at the beginning, rely on what is easier to calculate. And only then move on to what is more difficult to measure.

If he uses an emotional communication style, then you should focus on the emotional background of the negotiations. What arguments are needed to convince someone who is close to you that you are right? Almost none. What if he hates you? Also none - it’s unlikely that anything will help here. It is important to take small steps to make negotiations simple and enjoyable for your partner.

We need to prepare in advance for different options behavior of the negotiating partner. If he uses attack tactics, then it is necessary to think about how to respond to aggressive and not always adequate reproaches, claims and restrictions. If he defends himself, we need to think about what arguments can be used to “pull” the partner out of the state of waiting for action only on our part.

It is always better to negotiate alone. There is no one to rely on, you count on
you're only preparing for yourself
to the maximum

Here it is important to act “by the method of gradual approximation”: to record minimal joint actions as an approach to the common result. This could be an agreement on the duration of negotiations, a list of issues to be discussed, and their order.

The more information you collect about your partner in advance, the better. But it is important not to show your interest before negotiations have begun. Moreover, try to hide your awareness as much as possible.

If you have gathered information (yes, speculative information) about your partner's interests and negotiating style, then you can probably determine which aspects of the deal the partner would like to initially hide from you. Or perhaps he is generally deceiving or being deceived regarding some facts and processes.

Under no circumstances should you catch your partner making inaccuracies or “show off” your knowledge. After all, if he wants to hide something, and you “bring it out into the light of day,” then you will not only complicate this negotiation process for yourself, but will also ruin the relationship for a long time. People are able to forgive many mistakes, but never the fact that someone is smarter, more competent or more informed than them.

Regulations

At the beginning of negotiations, it is necessary to decide on the rules, topic and time. Most people try to determine the time first. And then it turns out that they didn’t have time to discuss “both this and that” issues. The rush begins. And behind it is inattention to the words, position and proposals of the partner. Therefore, it is important to maintain consistency.

The duration of negotiations may vary depending on how many issues are discussed: from one question for forty minutes to one and a half hours for 3–5 questions. There is no point in spending more time on one round. At the end of the agreed period, you must be ready to record some result.

It is better to schedule the next appointment for another day. People get tired of each other too, even if they are friends. And in negotiations, people work together to overcome differences and conflict areas. The exception is negotiations on business trips. Then you have to conduct several rounds with breaks. Then I advise you to physically change the location of the negotiations.

Participants

It is always better to negotiate alone: there is no one to rely on, you rely only on yourself and prepare to the maximum. At the same time, there are a large number of people who try to negotiate, as they say, “as a team.”

But teams of negotiators need to work hard to ensure that their work is coordinated and effective. Whereas negotiations are usually conducted by a group of employees whose interests often contradict each other. Only chance helps such pseudo-teams avoid causing major losses through their actions. All their contradictions, mutual interference, and inconsistency are visible to a specialist in the first minute. They lose by simply sitting down at the negotiating table. But at first they don't think so.

laugh with laughter, but when planning negotiations with a woman,

I'm trying to collect information - is she married, how is her family life?

Sometimes negotiations require the participation of a specialized specialist. Then you need to agree with him in advance what questions may arise for him. Only the one conducting the negotiations on our side gives him the floor. He does not have the right to directly answer his partner’s questions.

It's best when you are alone, and there are several people opposite you - you can notice contradictions in their positions. In this case, you yourself can always refer to the fact that it may take time to work through the issue under discussion (after all, there are several of them, and you also need to consult), and not make any decision until the next round of negotiations. This excuse is especially useful when you “have nothing to cover.”

The main thing to remember is: if you are one against everyone, you have time, which means you need to plan several rounds of negotiations at once. To do this, it is better to immediately warn that first you would like to study mutual needs and approaches to the problem being solved, and in the next negotiation round you will be ready to discuss possible options cooperation.

Negotiations with a woman

Women are intuitively more sensitive to where the truth is and where the lies are. But when faced with unreliable information, they are not in a hurry to “attack” or “leave”, as men would do. They are interested in checking their guess. In such a situation, women are more prone to manipulation than men. But if you enter into an open dialogue with them, there will be no manipulation on their part either.

Sometimes there are exceptions to this rule, but rarely. This concerns the fact that women negotiate based on their emotional state. Something is bothering the woman, she may begin to behave emotionally unstable, “bitchy” and even manipulative.

Therefore, laugh with laughter, but when planning negotiations with a woman, try to collect information: is she married, how is her family life going.

It is imperative to take into account that in negotiations with a man, a woman will definitely note her partner’s status. And if he is at the same level or higher, then his positive assessment will be important to her. These can be signs of attention, and basic tact and politeness. Moreover, this applies to both married and single ladies equally.

If a man’s status is lower, then women conduct open negotiations, trying to finish them faster.

Illustration: Natalya Osipova