Here's how you can use emotional intelligence to negotiate with vendors.
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a powerful tool in vendor management, especially during negotiations. It's the ability to perceive, understand, and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of others. In vendor negotiations, using EI can help you build stronger relationships, foster trust, and achieve more favorable terms. By tuning into emotional cues and responding appropriately, you can navigate the complexities of negotiation with a clear understanding of both parties' needs and concerns. This approach not only leads to better deals but also contributes to long-term partnerships that are beneficial for all involved.
Emotional intelligence is often the unsung hero in effective vendor management. It encompasses several skills, including self-awareness, empathy, social skills, self-regulation, and motivation. In negotiations, being self-aware allows you to recognize your emotional triggers and maintain composure. Empathy helps you understand the vendor's perspective and create a connection. Strong social skills enable you to communicate clearly and persuasively. Self-regulation ensures that you keep your emotions in check, preventing them from derailing the negotiation. Lastly, motivation drives you to seek win-win outcomes that strengthen the vendor relationship.
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Sanjay Kalluvilayil
Founder & CEO - Stonehaas Advisors | "Making the Impossible Possible"| "Enabling leaders and organizations to grow, transform, and scale to new levels and dimensions!"
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical skill in vendor management that is often unrecognized and/or underutilized. My approach is to foster engagement by clearly articulating the key issues, objectives, and decision criteria involved in the process. This enables vendors to better communicate their solutions, value propositions, and any value added items that may have been overlooked. The goal is to create a win-win situation where both parties reach a fair price that ensures the ongoing financial viability of both sides. EI is a powerful skill that can transform a transactional relationship into a strategic partnership.
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Swapnil Kale
Talent Acquisition Leader @ Neutrino
Establish trust by being honest, reliable, and transparent in your communications. Trust is the foundation of successful negotiations, and demonstrating trustworthiness can lead to more favourable outcomes. Approach negotiations with a mindset focused on creating value for both parties. Look for opportunities to identify common interests and creative solutions that maximize mutual gains. Express gratitude for the vendor's time, efforts, and contributions throughout the negotiation process. Showing appreciation can strengthen your relationship and leave a positive impression. After the negotiation, reflect on your emotional responses and behaviors. Seek feedback from others involved to gain insights into areas for improvement.
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Ekta Wadhwa
Principal Partner#Headhunter #Search Consultant
To be able to be a good listener in order to identify the pain areas, is imperative while negotiating with vendors. Besides, actively engaging with them and extending an empathetic approach further helps in closing the negotiations.
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Saurabh Gupta
Practising Chartered Accountant | Strategic Planning & Management | Financial & Tax planning
In my experience, even the quality professional services requires EI quotient reflection in talks and deliverables. This adds to the perspective of the receiver and he is able to better relate with you in the situation, naturally helps to foster long term relationships. When it comes to negotiations, such EI factor generally takes over the other points and provides an elevation to negotiator.
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Linda Tuck Chapman
CEO Third Party Risk Institute
Using emotional intelligence in vendor negotiations involves: 1. Self-awareness: Understand your emotions and how they influence your negotiation style. 2. Self-regulation: Manage your emotions to stay calm and composed during discussions. 3. Empathy: Recognize and consider the vendor's emotions, perspectives, and needs. 4. Social skills: Build rapport and maintain positive relationships for smoother negotiations. 5. Motivation: Stay focused on the end goal and remain optimistic. By applying these skills, you create a collaborative atmosphere, leading to mutually beneficial agreements.
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Latha Pillai
REGIONAL MANAGER-KOTTAYAM at KERALA BANK | Banking, Credit Management, Award-Winning Leader
Empathy: Put yourself in the vendor’s shoes. Understand their needs, concerns, and motivations. Show genuine interest in their perspective. Active listening is key here. Social Skills: Build rapport with the vendor. Establishing a positive relationship can lead to more favorable outcomes. Use effective communication techniques, such as clear and concise language, active listening, and non-verbal cues. Adaptability: Be flexible and open-minded. Adjust your approach based on the vendor’s responses and changing circumstances. Conflict Resolution: Address conflicts constructively. Seek win-win solutions rather than adversarial ones. Use assertiveness without aggression
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Sudhir Bali
Solutions Sales Consultant I GRC | AML | Risk | Compliance | Cyber Security I Sales I Business Development I CRM I Pre-Sales I MS AZ-900 I Payments | PMP I SJC I BFSI I EU | Cloud I SaaS I PaaS I IaaS
Prior to engaging in negotiations with a vendor, emotional preparation is paramount. Reflect on past encounters to identify potential emotional triggers and devise strategies to address them proactively. Take time to empathize with the vendor's viewpoint and identify their priorities. This preparatory step equips you with a composed demeanor and a comprehensive grasp of the emotional dynamics at play. By fostering emotional readiness, you can adeptly navigate the ebb and flow of negotiation, guiding discussions towards mutually beneficial resolutions.
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Shalini Sharma
Detail-Oriented Project Manager | 19 Years Expertise in Contract Management, Product Development, Project Execution, Procurement and vendor management
Preparing estimations well and reviewing price trends before negotiation boots confidence and helps keeping calm composed demeneour during negotiation meeting. It is vital to give the vendor sufficient chance to put forth their view so that they do not feel pressurised, but then it is equally important to communicate your views regarding quoted rates and desired reduction. It is important to arrive at win win situation for both parties so that quality of supply is not effected and deliveries are made on time
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Souvik Ghosh
PG Diploma in Materials Management with 24 Years of Experience in Procurement/Stores/Warehouse/Depot/SCM & Logistics
While starting the actual negotiations, first listen to the opponent then, try to connect more closer to him in any way possible through talks like current weather, his native, studies etc... to build a friendly relationship and make him more comfortable, then slowly try to convince him that he is not only Vendor he is a Service Partner and with mind game try to put as many obstacles as you can to not to accept his offer and with constant push through communication skills, try to convince him to match your expectation as close as possible.
Before entering any negotiation with a vendor, it's crucial to prepare emotionally. Reflect on past interactions to anticipate potential emotional triggers and plan how to handle them. Consider the vendor's perspective and what might be important to them. This preparation allows you to enter the negotiation with a level head and a clear understanding of both your own and the vendor's emotional landscape. By being emotionally prepared, you can better manage the ups and downs of negotiation and steer the conversation toward a positive outcome.
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Shinu Mathai
Chief Financial Officer at Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd | 25+ Years in Finance Leadership | Strategic Financial Management | Public Speaker
As part of preparation it is important to understand the reason for past emotional trigger and at the beginning itself mutually agree and keep that aside to be closed at the end. Once all other points are agreed and closed it is easier to find a middle way of amicable closure.
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Onyekachi Ndugbu
13x LinkedIn Top Voice | MSc Arch, (PMI-ACP) ®, MIFMA, MAFE, AFMPN. Transformation Leader | Innovative Facilities Management Expert | Sustainability | ESG Reporting | Driving Cost-Saving Solutions & Exceptional Results.
Me, before I enter any negotiations, I always try to manage my emotional triggers and biases. By recognizing what might cause stress or frustration, for me, so I can manage these emotions more effectively during discussions. Equally vital is empathy being able to put myself in the vendor's shoes. This empathetic perspective allows me to anticipate their concerns and motivations, leading to more productive dialogue. When I am emotionally prepared, I can approach negotiations with a calm and composed demeanor, making it easier to build rapport and trust with the vendor. By keeping emotions in check and approaching negotiations with a balanced mindset, I am more likely to find common ground and reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
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Mirjana Mirotić
Freelance consultant
Most of negotiations contains emotional chages on both sides. Being prepared for solve emotionally charged phases during negotiaton are basics for leading the process successfully.
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Pooja Singh
General Manager - CBRE | Advisory & Transaction | Corporate Leasing
I always try to manage my emotions before entering any negotiation or discussion. I am still working on controlling my triggers which can lead to negative discussion.
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Angel Galman
Business Development | Buyer | Brand Specialist | E-commerce | Distribution B2B &B2C | Manufacturing | Category: Toys, School, Gear, Feeding, Apparel, Bedroom, Safety
Self-Awareness in Communication is theno.1 key! 🔑 Recognize your emotional state before engaging in any form of communication. Whether through email, video calls, or chat, ensure that your messages convey professionalism and positivity, avoiding misinterpretations that can arise from the lack of non-verbal cues.
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Rasiq Saher
Business Development Manager
Absolutely, emotional preparation is indeed crucial before entering any negotiation with a vendor. Reflecting on past interactions, anticipating emotional triggers, understanding the vendor's perspective, and planning how to handle emotions can greatly enhance your negotiation effectiveness. It allows for a more level-headed approach and a better chance of steering the conversation towards a positive outcome.
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Robson Dutra
China Office Manager
Making sure emotions are under control and been able to set negotiation targets that could lead to mutual benefits are key prior to seat in any negotiation table. Empathy plays a very important role by providing you the chance to see the other side perspective and consequently anticipate eventual concessions you may need to make or trading chips you could put into use as well paving the way to adjust properly while the negotiation moves on.
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Ahmed Tariq affouri
Project administrator
C’est le travail mental énorme qui emmène a des douleurs de tête , l’hypocrisie. Je reviens à dire que ne te prépare pas , sois toi même , utilise tes expériences dans la vie pour avoir la cohérence et la clarté dans tous tes comportements .
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Nisha Kumari
Regional Practice Manager, British Telecom. Accomplished leader known for streamlining operations, strategic vision, and driving productivity through large-scale transformations and innovative initiatives.
Before entering negotiations, be clear about what you need from the vendor. Know your priorities, limits, and desired outcomes. Be aware of your feelings throughout the negotiation process. Stay calm and composed, especially when discussions become tense.
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María Fernanda Bermello
Ingeniera en Gestión Empresarial - Mtr. Investigación de Mercados
La gestión de esta actividad es saber mantener los negocios en un buen ritmo ser persona proactiva resolución de conflictos de manera efectiva
Active listening is a key component of emotional intelligence that can significantly improve your negotiations with vendors. It involves fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively hearing the message. By actively listening, you show respect and build rapport with the vendor. This technique also allows you to pick up on subtle emotional cues that can give you insight into the vendor's true concerns and priorities, which you can then address to move the negotiation forward in a way that is considerate of their needs.
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Eva Fazekas
Senior Partner Management Consultant, team lead at Magyar Telekom
In my opinion, active listening is not about empathy only. It is about collecting information. So, if somebody has not high EQ, the rationality can drive him/her to the same method: active listening is needed for building successful business relationship.
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Ariela Lewitinn
Procurement and Logistics Manager at Gauzy
Active listening means truly paying attention to the other side's perspective and concerns. when someone feels heard and understood, they're more likely to be open to collaboration. it helps in Understanding the other side's motivations and creating solutions that address their main concerns. and also can help in Moving the negotiation forward efficiently since Less time is wasted on misunderstandings and irrelevant arguments.
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Jeanette Hübsch
Global Procurement Lead Commercial | Passionate Communication focussing on Creating Value for People | The World is complex - let’s keep things simple
Active listening isn't just about hearing words; it's about truly understanding the perspective of the other party. I've found that many people listen with the intention to reply, but real listening means absorbing the message without judgment. By practicing active listening, we not only show respect but also gain valuable insights into the concerns and priorities of our counterparts. This allows us to navigate negotiations in a way that addresses their needs while achieving mutual benefit. It's all about fostering genuine connections and creating win-win outcomes.
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Sudhir Bali
Solutions Sales Consultant I GRC | AML | Risk | Compliance | Cyber Security I Sales I Business Development I CRM I Pre-Sales I MS AZ-900 I Payments | PMP I SJC I BFSI I EU | Cloud I SaaS I PaaS I IaaS
Embracing active listening as part of your emotional intelligence toolkit can revolutionize your vendor negotiations. Instead of merely hearing, active listening involves fully engaging with the speaker's message. This approach demonstrates respect and fosters a stronger connection with the vendor. Moreover, by actively listening, you become attuned to subtle emotional signals, offering invaluable insight into the vendor's underlying concerns and priorities. Armed with this understanding, you can tailor your negotiation strategy to address their needs effectively, propelling the discussion forward in a manner that respects their perspective.
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Rasiq Saher
Business Development Manager
Absolutely, active listening is a cornerstone of emotional intelligence that can greatly enhance vendor negotiations. By fully engaging with what the vendor is saying, you demonstrate respect, build rapport, and gain insight into their concerns and priorities. This understanding allows you to address their needs effectively, leading to more productive and mutually beneficial outcomes.
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Craig Estrella, PMP, CSM
Coaching arts and entertainment professionals on achieving success using the skills of project management!
Top actors often say truly fantastic performances are accomplished only by those so prepared in advance and invested in the moment they don't think about the script. Actors simply waiting to say their lines deliver mediocre performances. Active listening is the state of being fully invested in what another is saying. It is the opposite of waiting to say your part and is not only the greatest respect to others but strategically invaluable to you as a professional. If you are confident in your position and skills, don't be scared you'll forget what you want to say. When the other person is finished, you'll get your chance. But if you do not actively listen, you will fail to pick up gems of details to be used to your advantage.
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María Fernanda Bermello
Ingeniera en Gestión Empresarial - Mtr. Investigación de Mercados
A mi me ha resultado útil la escucha activa ya que implica una estrategia para entender a la otra persona sin sesgos es cuestión de oír con atención con el fin de obtener un buen resultado en la negociación
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Ramesh Gottapu
🌟 LinkedIn's Top Direct Sales Voice | Transforming Talent Acquisition Across Gulf & India | Expert in providing best IT Staffing with Budget-Friendly Solutions- Talent heads and CXO's... love to connect soon
From my experience, I can say we listen only to respond, but when we listen to understand other people's perspectives, that yields a lot. When we listen properly we can read between the lines and keep the key points to reapply on during next phases of conversation. When people hear from you on what they said 30 days back or 45 days back, they respect more for your intelligence and Business acumen and ultimately that would lead you close more deals.
Engaging with empathy means putting yourself in the vendor's shoes and genuinely considering their needs and emotions. When you approach negotiations with empathy, you create a more collaborative environment. This doesn't mean sacrificing your interests but rather finding common ground where both parties can benefit. Empathy can lead to discovering creative solutions that may have been overlooked in a more adversarial setting. It also fosters goodwill, which can be invaluable for future negotiations and ongoing vendor relationships.
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Keith Brodie
Chief Engagement Officer
If you squeeze your vendor to meet terms that are unreasonable or unprofitable, ultimately the value of their contribution to your organization will suffer and hurt you as well. The empathetic approach to an optimal relationship is finding the deal that fairly balances the needs of both parties and delivers the best value, while keeping both parties satisfied and eager to continue the relationship.
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Bijay Kumar Gochhayat
Program Manager at Reliance Retail || Ex-Arzooo, Prione Amazon, Snapdeal || PGDBM, SIMS Ghaziabad
Empathy is a cornerstone of effective relationships, both personally and professionally. Emotional Intelligence (El) helps us engage empathetically by empathetic responses - respond with care and understanding. By prioritizing El, we enhance our ability to empathize, leading to stronger and more meaningful relationships. Let's embrace emotional intelligence for better connections!
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Charles Howard
Founder, Chief Executive Manager
As a vendor of custom Salesforce solutions, I approve this message. If you get in touch with vendors early to avoid a time crunch, and take it seriously when they talk about what they think is feasible, you'll save yourself a whole lot of trouble.
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Rasiq Saher
Business Development Manager
Engaging with empathy in negotiations involves genuinely considering the vendor's needs and emotions, fostering a collaborative environment where both parties can benefit. This approach doesn't mean sacrificing your interests but rather finding common ground. It can lead to creative solutions and foster goodwill for future negotiations and ongoing relationships.
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Robson Dutra
China Office Manager
Empathetic engagement is vital for building deeper and long lasting business relationships. Guarantee your business best interests while providing the proper space for the counterpart to do the same demands technique, experience and a deep understanding of other side perspective. Genuinely putting yourself on your supplier/customer allows you design a framework of possibilities that could be put in use in a negotiation while providing at the same time the chance to evaluate impacts x perception of value for both sides supporting the use of concessions or trading chips.
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Ahmed Tariq affouri
Project administrator
L’empathie ne vient pas du hasard, si on est pas éduqué pour un traitement avec quiconque avec de l’empathie , on ne saura JAMAIS l’être . J’insiste de nouveau comme j’ai dis avant : l’hypocrisie si aide a court terme , n’aidera PAS à long terme . Faut réviser et travailler sur soi même pour être originalement éduqué, respectueux y sympa , et évidement professionnel.
Expressing your emotions effectively is another aspect of emotional intelligence that can enhance vendor negotiations. It's about communicating your feelings in a way that is honest yet tactful, which can help in aligning expectations and building trust. For example, expressing disappointment in a respectful manner can signal to the vendor that there's a gap between what's being offered and what you're looking for without causing offense. This open expression can pave the way for more constructive discussions and mutually acceptable compromises.
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Amit Amembal
Paint and coatings industry professional with strong analytical and intrepreneurship skills. Contact: +919619798342
They say that hiding one's true emotions during a negotiations is needed as this amounts to show your cards to the other party. However, I feel that more than showing one's emotions, it is the modulation of those emotions to ensure that the negotiation point gets across to the other party correctly is desired. How to modulate the emotions is in itself a vast topic and needs adjustments based on the negotiation situation. The timing of the emotion displayed is also important as well as how much of the emotion is important. It needs to work in tandem with the opposite party emotions, also needs suitable optimization time to time. Go ahead, show your true emotions, no need to hide, but ensure that it is correctly received by the other party.
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Veeshwass Kulkarni
Procurement & Supply Chain Leader I Change Management | Sustainable Procurement | Strategic Sourcing | Commodity Managment |Digital Transformation | Profitability Enhancement| Leadership Award Winner |
Its always mentioned to control emotions during negotiations. These could be through facial expression, eye contact, body language. However, reading body language, expressions of the vendor during negotiation will help to understand their positions and you may use it to decide further course of actions
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Imran Murtaza Kiani
Sales|Business Development|Customer services|B2B|B2C|B2G|Logistic|E-Commerce|Enterprise SalesISaaS|IOT|
Using empathetic engagement in negotiations with vendors involves genuinely understanding their perspectives and needs. By actively listening, acknowledging their concerns, and showing empathy, you can build trust and rapport. This approach can lead to more collaborative discussions, where both parties feel respected and are more likely to reach mutually beneficial agreements.
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Saurabh Kumar
AGM, Digital Solutions Purchasing with 13+ experience in procurement and vendor management | IIM B | NSUT
Watch your tone in communication; maintaining a neutral tone is crucial for successful negotiation or vendor relationship management.
Conflict is often inevitable in negotiations, but how you manage it can make all the difference. With high emotional intelligence, you can recognize when emotions are running high and take steps to de-escalate tension. This might involve taking a break to cool off or rephrasing statements to be less confrontational. By managing conflict effectively, you maintain a productive dialogue and keep the negotiation on track toward a successful resolution that respects both your needs and those of the vendor.
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Houman Sanaei PMP®
Category Management | Procurement Management | Vendor Management | Buying | Product Development | International Business Development
Achieving calmness in vendor negotiations amid conflict involves techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, and active listening. Emotion regulation, breaks, and seeking support help maintain professionalism and focus on resolution. Familiarity with conflict resolution techniques aids in navigating disagreements constructively.
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Pritam Shirsath
Strategic Procurement & Supply Chain Planning Viraj Profiles Pvt Ltd CIPP | CISCP📜
Emotional presence can be a powerful tool. When tensions rise, your ability to empathize and understand their perspective can create a connection that goes beyond just numbers. Conflict might arise, but by staying attuned to emotions and finding ways to ease the tension, you can keep the conversation moving forward positively. This means knowing when to take a breather or choosing words that soothe rather than escalate. Ultimately, it's about fostering a relationship built on respect and understanding, which leads to better outcomes for both parties involved.
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Robson Dutra
China Office Manager
Understanding conflicts are part of negotiation routines and may lead to positive results are key from the start. Having the touch to know when push, when be stronger but at the same time when to give a step back and give concessions on benefit of the other side leads to an easier path to resolute problems and negotiating terms. Plus with the time going by it helps build credibility with your business partner that leads to much easier negotiations.
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Bijay Kumar Gochhayat
Program Manager at Reliance Retail || Ex-Arzooo, Prione Amazon, Snapdeal || PGDBM, SIMS Ghaziabad
Emotional Intelligence (El) is the cornerstone of effective conflict management. It empowers us to handle disagreements with empathy and clarity. Here's how El contributes to resolving conflicts: Self-Control: Manage your emotions to stay calm and focused. Deep Listening: Hear what others are truly saying beyond their words. Empathy: Understand and appreciate different perspectives. Clear Communication: Articulate thoughts respectfully and listen actively. Win-Win Solutions: Collaborate to find solutions that benefit everyone. By developing El, we can turn conflicts into opportunities for growth and connection. Let's make emotional intelligence our go-to strategy for resolving conflicts!
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Dr Mukesh Gupta
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Emotional Intelligence was my dissertation subject during MBA. Whatever has been mentioned under point number 1 to 6 is absolutely correct. Below 3 steps would enable you to cover steps 1 to 6 to achieve intended results with win-win situation: 1) Understand yourself 2) Understand other person 3) Manage relationship (negotiation) To achieve best results from point 3 above, always switch between the below states of mind for the communication between the two persons depending upon progress in communication: Parent state of mind Adult state of mind Child state of mind However, the best state of mind for both parties is adult vs adult.
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Sudhir Jain
Aluminum Application Expert | Ex- Hindalco
One things which i have found helpful while sitting across negotiation table is showing empathy . Understanding your vendor thought process, pain points and problem. When this happens your. Vendor opens and drops barrier of communication, which helps in free flow and alignment of thoughts giving one flexibility to position and negotiate fairly.
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Ashish kumar Apte
Founder, Director. ANBA is now a recognized Start Up
Offlate I have realized that a strong emotional status of the mind, allows you to have a very open-minded approach and offer multiple opportunities for a win win situation, when you are on a negotiating table.
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Abdul Jalal
Emotional intelligence comes into picture when vendors quote higher and you acknowledge it. Be simple and straight forward, specific, be genuine, be real in the communication. I won't use negotiation word. I would use the correct pricing and your research behind it. I do understand businesses use negotiation skills to exploit stakeholders and feels they have saved revenue for the company. But in reality they are bringing bad name to the company and in long run will loose customers which in turn will impact revenue.
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Douglas Ljung
Compliance Manager
Wrestling and crying in combination is a deal maker. I Saved $5,000 on a new car and they threw in an extra tire for my kid to boost up in the back seat. I wrestled all the way to the bank when I got a gigantic discount from Okta and GitHub. I Cried golden tears as I brokered a deal with the local cigarette factory that changed my life. Always wrestle first, cry second, and sign the dotted line last.
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Keith Brodie
Chief Engagement Officer
Many relationships, venrod and otherwise, have become broken and fallen apart from a lack of consideration and a willingness to understand the other perspective. No one ever complained about being treated fairly. There is always room for decency and respect at the negotiating table.
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Ahmed Tariq affouri
Project administrator
La personnalité fausse qu’on peut avoir peut varier d’une personne à autre , la surprise est quand ???? Réponse : quand tu rencontre le fournisseur pour la 2eme fois et tu te porte avec la personnalité A au lieu de la personnalité B , que tu as oublié que tu l‘as utilisé avec lui lors du premier rencontre …. HhhhC’est la grande HONTE ..
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Craig Estrella, PMP, CSM
Coaching arts and entertainment professionals on achieving success using the skills of project management!
While all humans carry the same emotions, it is important to remember that not all cultures express emotions similarly given a circumstance. Some cultures are reserved in emotional expression while for others emotion is the basis of dialogue. And for some, it is the foundational core of relationships. As more of us work with international teams, vendors, and clients, being aware of the interplay between language and emotion in countries we have dealings with is vital. This knowledge can serve as a guide should the emotional landscape of a conversation shift unexpectedly. Being not only aware but respectful of cultural diversity in emotional responses is truly invaluable in the modern business world and will set you apart from the rest.
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