Negotiating by Email Plan the Challenges of Conducting Negotiations by Email Improve Your Negotiations By Email

7. Feelings Are Tricky to Gauge
Of course, feelings are tricky to gauge on email because you are guessing. You could always ask. ‘How are you feeling about this deal?’. You might not like what they tell you, but at least you’ll know.
8. Sometimes the Negotiation is to Just Get Face-To-Face
Always try for face to face negotiations and especially towards the end of a negotiation. Sometimes the email negotiation is to get a face-to-face negotiation!
Always plan your negotiations as if you were playing a game of chess. Try to plan the various moves and always ensure you have enough things to trade – tradeables – for every step. A piece of flipchart paper, some post-it notes, and another brain (colleague?) in the room are our recommendation.
Use the prospect of a big, tantalising tradeable as a precondition of a final face to face meeting – ‘We are close to a breakthrough, we have something we can discuss face to face’.
Alternatively, plan a ‘Super Size Me’ option. One which only gets served face to face – ‘We can explode the value in this deal for you you realise, I can’t explain over the phone or by email it’s simply too big and complex, we need to meet face to face, but it’s worth thousands!’.
Always plan your negotiations to get the best results
9. Seek Clarity Simply
If you don’t know what an email means, ask. ‘In your email you mentioned xyz. Did you mean A: Meant 123? or B: Meant 456? or C: Meant 789?’. Please let me know which letter. Thank you’.
10. No-One Enjoys Conflict
Some old negotiation trainers will tell you that they do. I’ll let you in on a secret. They don’t. No-one gets up and thinks, ‘A good argument today. That’s what’s needed’. Your opponent is going through the same emotions you are. Some a little more, some a little less because they are more used to it, but they still are people that feel. It may not feel like it to you because your account or your business is under threat. Maybe the threat is because their category or their job is under threat. Show some empathy and the may too. ‘I imagine that this negotiation is a tough one for us both. I bet you could do without it too and getting on with everything else that you have on your plate’.