Negociation techniques: the report of the negotiation

Résumé du document

We represent a company that manufactures and exports computers. The potential customer we met proposed an order of 4000 computers at £550 per unit. £550 was suitable for us but quantity seemed to be a little low. Thus, we not only proposed a bigger order, but also a price of £600 per unit. After some indecision, the customer agreed on the condition that the order depended on the transport. About 5% for shipping costs seemed too high to the customer. We have argued that our product was a renowned product worldwide (the manual is available in translation in all main EU and Asian languages).

Extraits

[...] Negotiation techniques: A report on negotiation Negotiation is generally defined as a dynamic process through which several parties (at least two) try to solve a ‘conflict'. We should consider whether it is active and whether it freely looks for an ‘agreement'. The conflict (opposition of opinions and/or interests) is ‘omnipresent and inevitable': "it cannot be totally suppressed nor totally eliminated; it can, however, be managed, channeled, or contained'. That is why negotiation is at the center of human activities. What “really matters” does not lie in the main contract but in its appendices. [...]

[...] Thanks to this role-play exercise, we have put into practice the technical side of negotiations. We have also discovered how to achieve our goals through debates to reach a consensus. Doing or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, poor communication and cross cultural misunderstandings can all have harmful consequences. As the business world continues to become more competitive, individuals and companies that are successful in determining and meeting customer needs will be rewarded. Well negotiating is not really a tangible skill which can be measured with figures. [...]

[...] We have to imagine a negotiation situation. It is just to imagine two sides meeting for the first time where both sides can win potential gains. The point is that both these sides don't know anything about the other, but they both have to discuss and make decision on the credence of the opposite sides way of doing things. We want to know how these will parties deal with a situation like that and how they can analyze and/or anticipate the opposite sides reaction. [...]

[...] We have argued that our products are good products (indeed, the manual is available in translation in all main EU and Asian languages). Together, we wanted to develop a good relationship. That is why the negotiation turned to an exceptional idea: 60000 units each year for the next three years. With regard to guarantee, it lasts 10 months. We have negotiated the delivery time too: after telling the customer that 4 weeks was a little short for us, we have decided together that goods would be shipped about 5 weeks after the firm order. [...]