Negotiation – Using Cooperative Approach

Understanding the dynamics of negotiation can give you an advantage when interacting with people whether at a personal or business level. Negotiations are not the purview of big businesses alone, small business owners can tap into it and reap great rewards. This article looks at the cooperative approach to negotiation and how it can best serve you and your business.

What Is The Cooperative Style Of Negotiation?

In this form of negotiation,  the party that wants to use it is ready to come to an agreement with the other party as quickly as possible, and will be pleased to sign the documents.

It is like knowing both sides with respect to what you need and what the other person wants, and cutting through the chase by offering that person something very close to what they want in such a manner that it would be hard for them to refuse.

SEE ALSO: How Cooperative Approach To Negotiation Works

Imagine haggling for an item you intend to buy and already knowing the actual price. Imagine you offer to pay something close to the actual price, or something beyond that price. That is, you are negotiating in such a manner that the other person would find it hard to refuse what you have placed on the table.

When Is This Style Usually Adopted?

There are several reasons that could make this the ideal approach to bring to the negotiation table.

You Might Have Deadline Issues

You might be in a situation where you must come to an agreement because of a deadline that will make you lose more if it catches up with you. That is, how you approach the negotiation table might be influenced by something that is related to it, not directly as such, but it would affect what you consider to be bigger issues.

SEE ALSO: The Importance Of Monitoring And Benchmarking For Managers

Keeping it simple, you might decide that you want to cut the haggling over how much you want to pay for an item by offering the other party something they cannot refuse because you must catch the 2 o’clock train.

You Might Have A Conscience Issue

What if you are coming to the negotiation table knowing that you are at fault and looking at ways to compensate for that? This might be a good reason to adopt  cooperative approach. This can cover almost any area of life and business.

In this case, coming to the negotiation table might serve as a mere formality because you know you are going to offer the other party something they cannot refuse, since it will look as if you are the one that will lose the most from the deal.

You Might Have An Ulterior Motive

You can use the cooperative style as a way to ambush the other party in another area. However, your ulterior motive might not have anything to do with the person directly. They may not be aware that there is a bigger deal or something greater at stake and putting up a cooperative face will get this deal sealed before they know.

SEE ALSO: 3 Critical Inputs of a Business Proposal

You might be on the verge to run for a political office and handling this negotiation in such a manner that it makes you look as if you are the one who lost the most, could serve to boost your image if it ever gets out to the public.

If you had played hardball on the negotiation table and you just about had your way, it could end up working against you if it is leaked out.

Dangers Of Using The Cooperative Approach

The other party would naturally have a degree of suspicion if it were not really clear why you are adopting a cooperative style on the negotiation table. They want to link your cooperation to something visible, or else, they might take a bit longer scrutinizing what you are offering, because they do not want to take something that will turn against them in the future.

You can handle this by giving the other party a reason why you are adopting a cooperative approach without necessarily being too overt about it. That is, if they dig a little bit, the reason will surface. Only make sure that the reason will not leave you more vulnerable to them because they may decide to take advantage of that and press for things that will not just work for you.

This means you can create a reason they will be able to accept even when that is not the only reason. That is, there are obviously more important reasons why you chose to adopt the cooperative approach. However, going into them might change the dynamics of the negotiation and this might not be to your favor.