Effective Communication

How to negotiate well (1) 

"There is...a time for every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV 

In order to negotiate well, it helps to understand what’s happening on both sides of the table. People seldom buy a product for the reason you want to sell it. If you show more interest in making a profit than meeting their need, you’ll fail. So here are a few things to keep in mind when negotiating with someone: 

• The right attitude - Nobody likes being taken for granted, coerced, and pressured. 


• The cost involved for others - There is a world of difference between negotiating with someone who has so much money that whatever the cost they can afford it, and someone who is sacrificing because they really need your product. If you want a long-term customer rather than a short-term sale, practice the golden rule: "Whatever you want others to do for you, do for them" (see Matthew 7:12). 


• The proper timing - Solomon tells us there is "A time to gain, and a time to lose" (Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV). Whether you’re asking for a raise or trying to sell a product to a customer, timing is all-important. When someone is hungry, lonely, angry, tired, stressed, or in a crisis, you risk losing out, whereas if you’d waited for the right time, chances are you’d have won. 

Does God really care about stuff like this? Yes. "God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business" (Proverbs 16:11 MSG). As a follower of Christ, you want both sides to walk away feeling they were treated fairly. 

Prayer point:

Lord, You have promised wisdom to those who ask, and every heart is an open book to You. So, please make me perceptive in my dealings with others so that I can act in a wise and timely manner, but without manipulation. Help me, when necessary, to control my own impulsivity and to act with integrity. Thank you, Lord.