Never underestimate the negotiation capabilities of children. From a very young ager children are already very skilful negotiators using a variety of tactics to their advantage.
They know when to approach a parent to ask for something. Usually, it is when a parent is busy, and they know how to make the request. Often using her cutest smile, playing with our emotions and making it almost impossible to say no. Charm and an emotional connection go a long way.
Children know how hard it is for their parents to say no when they put on their cutest smiles. People are emotional and playing on these emotions gets you a better negotiation outcome.
Children know who to ask and when to ask. They know in which situations the parent is more likely to say yes, and they also know which parent to ask and which parent not to ask.
They also repeat the request over and over again. This is called the broken record tactic, repeating the same request again and again until the parent it work out and will finally give in. The broken record tactic wears you out and eventually you say yes.
Also, children never worry about what other people think of them, they only habve their her eye on the prize.
So what here is what we can learn from our children:
Time and circumstances
Use time and circumstances to your advantage as it is not just about asking what you want, it is also the timing when to ask and the circumstances the other party might be in.
The broken record
Repeating the same thing over and over again wears the other party out.
Persistence is the key to any negotiation with the refusal to accept ‘no’.
Why
Challenge everything that is not positive with a why. In any negotiation if you challenge the proposals with why puts the other party under pressure to explain and divulge valuable information that you may not have had in the first place.
Build rapport
Rather than just getting on with it at the negotiation table it pays off to build rapport. Having a good relationship with whom you are negotiating with can have a significant impact on the outcome.
By understanding the other party, their pressures, motivations and circumstances you can devise a strategy that works in your favour and you will be able to get the most out of the deal.Be well prepared and think about which tactics would be appropriate in your upcoming negotiation and you will be able to maximise your deals.
Life happens! Negotiate Well!