While hard work, dedication, and commitment are all necessary to get ahead in business, another important factor is the ability to negotiate. In order to be successful, you must learn how to recognize and capitalize on opportunities that are beneficial. Negotiation is a skilled art and one that takes a tremendous amount of practice. Therefore, it is crucial to ask for feedback from team members so you can gain a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses in a negotiation. When you are negotiating as a team, you should take the initiative to request constructive feedback that will help improve your negotiation skills. Here are a few things to consider in order to gain the most from your team’s feedback.
Ask for Feedback Immediately
It’s always best to ask for feedback as soon as the meeting is over. This way, the conversation is still fresh in everyone’s minds and it’s easier for team members to provide thoughtful and accurate information.
Be Willing to Accept Any Feedback
When you ask for authentic feedback, you must be prepared to receive both positive feedback as well as constructive criticism. The only way to improve your business negotiations is to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s always easy to listen to positive feedback but it’s equally as important to listen to constructive criticism with an open mind. Therefore, encourage your colleagues to provide real feedback and don’t dwell on self-criticism.
Ask for Specific Examples
When your colleagues provide feedback, make sure you understand where they are coming from. Ask your team members to use specific examples of both dialogue and behavior to explain their points. It’s not enough just to say, “You did great” or “You need to get more comfortable negotiating.” You need specific examples of things you did right and things that could have been done better.
Talk About Different Negotiation Strategies
Resist forcing your own negotiation style onto your team members. Perhaps there is another style that would have been more effective in that specific situation. While it’s normal to have a style that you are most comfortable with, it’s also useful to learn about other negotiation strategies and how your team members may have handled the negotiation differently.
Business negotiations can be tricky and having colleagues provide feedback and advice can be invaluable. It takes a great deal of discipline to review your own negotiations but this is a good habit that will help you improve future negotiations and set goals for yourself.
