During the negotiation process, both parties often negotiate on multiple issues. These issues are either major or minor. Regardless of whether the negotiation goes smoothly, both parties should focus on the overall situation, distinguish between the primary and the secondary, and avoid losing the big picture for the sake of the minor. Especially when conflicts arise, both parties should remain calm and consider the overall situation. If necessary, they can also give up minor interests.
E-commerce companies should confirm the focus of the negotiation before the negotiation, what goals to achieve, what are the main goals, what are the secondary goals, what aspects can be compromised, and what principles and bottom lines must be adhered to. In addition, members of the negotiation team should also cooperate with each other to better achieve the goal. So, in terms of distinguishing between the primary and the secondary, what should e-commerce companies pay attention to?
(1) Clear division of labor and coordination between the primary and the secondary
Negotiation is a team game that requires each member to cooperate with each other. There are “singles”, “doubles”, and “mixed doubles”. In the negotiation, in addition to the top leader who should rush to the front, other deputies should also cooperate with each other
The primary and secondary should be clearly distinguished. There can only be one leader in a negotiation team, and all participants must serve the leader and follow the leader’s instructions, views and practices.
There must be a clear division of labor. Members must play their roles according to their positions, be in place but not overstep their authority, and the supporting roles and the main roles must cooperate with each other. For example, the deputy needs to help the main negotiator to find loopholes and fill in the gaps. When the main negotiator makes a slip of the tongue, he must fill in the gaps in time to avoid being caught by the other party.
Play roles. In a negotiation, a well-coordinated negotiation team will always have someone who plays the “good guy”, someone who plays the “bad guy”, someone who plays the “green-clothed” role, and someone who plays the “martial artist”. Therefore, the negotiation team should allocate roles well. For example, if the main negotiator is not convenient to say something, the deputy can say it. Everyone should cooperate with each other and fight a good negotiation battle.
(2) Resolving the main contradiction
Faced with complex contradictions, the negotiation team must first resolve the main contradiction before it can break through the secondary contradiction with great momentum. When resolving the main contradiction, the negotiation team should grasp the main and secondary aspects.
The negotiation team should firmly grasp the main goal, resolve the main contradiction, and negotiate with suppliers with a clear purpose. In addition, the negotiation team should let the supplier know its main goal at the appropriate time and conduct negotiations selectively. When the main goal conflicts with the secondary goal, the negotiation team can give up the secondary goal and make concessions.
In negotiations, the most taboo is not to have a clear distinction between the primary and the secondary. If the negotiation team is not clear about the goals they want to achieve in the negotiation and the implementation steps, it is easy for the negotiation to get entangled in details and become increasingly chaotic. Therefore, in negotiations, the negotiation team must resolve the main contradictions and grasp the mainstream, and use this as the core to control the rhythm of the negotiation.
(3) Determine the main goals
The negotiation team should plan its main goals. In addition, the quotation is also one of the focuses of the negotiation. Before determining which are the main goals, the negotiation team must not be blindly optimistic, otherwise once problems arise, they may put themselves in a passive situation.
Tips
In negotiations, in addition to determining the division of labor and the main goals of the negotiation, the negotiation team must also understand the other party’s true purpose. The goal that the other party is eager to achieve is a very good breakthrough point, and the negotiation team must be good at discovering and using such a breakthrough point.