Help the Other Person to Feel They Have a Good Deal

When we finish the negotiation and come to agreement, it is very important to the fulfilment of the agreement reached, and the long-term relationship involved, that we don't gloat over any apparent victory. Remembering our maxim of win-win, we should be at pains to help the other party feel that they have a good deal. Good negotiators will also ensure that wherever possible the counterpart in reality has got a good deal from their perspective.

If you were buying, and your seller feels one or more of the following, they will feel positive about the outcome, and will feel they have a bargain:

• if they feel they have done better than their competitors;

• if the price is good for them in terms of profit, volume delivery, etc;

• if they are confident in your prompt payment and supplier loyalty;

• if they have extracted some form of 'guarantee' from you;

• if they feel there is a genuinely good chance of future business.

Whether you are the buyer or seller, tell the other party that they are real professionals. Build their respect and affirmation. It will also build their appreciation and respect for you.

If you were selling, why not write or fax your buyer, congratulating them on the terms they have secured. Affirm in writing some of the key points that they have negotiated and affirm your commitment to service and customer care. Talk about your pleasure at welcoming them as a customer and build in positive comments about the anticipated long-term relationship. Why not even send some personalised and appropriate greeting card. Helping the counterpart feel good can be as simple as giving them unexpectedly 'one more than they expected'. 'One more' can be one more anything.

I was speaking at a public seminar in the United States. A building contractor in Miami was telling me how after he finishes every job - when the snagging terms have been negotiated and agreed - he always gives one more thing. What he usually does is to landscape some small area or plant some special trees - free - as his way of saying thank you. He has been doing that for 18 years and has kept many of his clients for the whole of that time. They obviously felt they got a good deal.