“I don’t look at business as a zero-sum game. I don’t. I’ve never seen it play out that way… I think you innovate and you add value, deliver value… and you get value back from the world.” – Marc Benioff
Once upon a time, competitors and business partners would battle in cutthroat negotiations that would result in a clear winner and a loser. Negotiating meant trying to come out on top; that was the name of the game.
In today’s economy, though, companies are networked together with their suppliers, customers, vendors, and contractors in an interdependent web. In this environment, the old win/lose approach to business partnerships is a lot like sitting contentedly in one end of a boat and watching the people at the other end bailing water out. We might be glad for the moment that the leak isn’t at our end, but in the long run, if our partners are in trouble, we’re in trouble too!
It’s often in our best interests to make sure that our business agreements help both parties to succeed and make the whole network stronger.
It’s easy to see why “win-win” negotiations have become such a big deal. More than just a buzzword, the term “win-win” represents a new mindset about negotiating, where the game does not necessarily have a win/lose outcome.
How Is “Win-Win” Different?
There are still some old ideas and assumptions about negotiations and the “win-win” approach that you might be hanging onto. Let’s take a look at the rules of the new game.
“Negotiation is war” is the old-school mindset. Every negotiation is viewed as a struggle with an enemy, rather than a problem-solving conversation with a partner. In a war, people are likely to act uncooperative, manipulative, and even aggressive. After all, the other person is the enemy, and they are out to get you – so get them first!
In the win-win view, negotiations are actually opportunities to build positive relationships, improve and strengthen partnerships, and contribute to the success of both parties.
To an aggressive old-school negotiator, the point is to take everything possible away from the other party, leaving them with next to nothing. Any sign of collaboration or generosity is viewed as a sign of weakness and taken advantage of.
In a win-win negotiation, though, it’s understood that each side has the other’s best interests in mind – which means that both sides are allowed positions of greater strength. Each can ask for what they need, and give consideration to the other side’s interests. Each party contributes to the success of the other by working together to create a mutually beneficial agreement.
Some people mistakenly assume that helping the other side get what they want means sacrificing their own interests and serving them up on a silver platter.
The truth is that even in win-win negotiations, the Golden Rule of making concessions is Quid Pro Quo: never give up anything without asking for something in return. The key to successful concession trading is to exchange items that have a higher value to the recipient, relative to the giver’s cost. That is, we find the things they want that we can give up without much trouble; then ask for things that would really help us, but which they can part with easily. This is how really successful win-win outcomes are built.
A lack of trust is another standby of the old-school approach. In that mode of thinking, the other side is always out to get us, and no one can be trusted.
The truth is, though, that all relationships, at every level of society, are built on a foundation of trust. A solid business partnership must also be founded on a mutual willingness to trust each other. That sense of trust leads to open, honest discussion about each party’s needs and interests, so each side can reach its goals. The willingness to be honest and open with information is key to the win-win approach.
The idea that a business negotiation must always have a “winner” and a “loser” is an outdated concept.
In the win-win view, negotiation isn’t a game of chess, a tug-of-war, or any other kind of zero-sum proposition. The object is not to get a bigger piece of the pie than the other guy; it’s to make the pie bigger, so there’s plenty for everyone! In a collaborative business partnership, where parties are sensitive to each other’s needs and the goal is mutual success, everyone can win.
Why Not Try Win-Win?
Old-school negotiators who stubbornly plow ahead with a zero-sum mindset and an aggressive negotiating approach in the new business environment often find that in striving to “win,” they – and their organizations – are the ones who actually lose. Who wants to stay in a business relationship where the other partner has no respect for your needs, aggressively pushes their own agenda, and actively works against you?
More and more, we in the business world are benefitting from a more collaborative approach that ensures that our partners, vendors, and customers share in our success, and that we share in theirs. After all, that’s what “win-win” is really all about – working together to build strong partnerships, strong relationships, and strong businesses.
Baker Communications offers leading edge Negotiations Training solutions that will help you address the goals and achieve the solutions addressed in this article. For more information about how your organization can achieve immediate and lasting behavior change that leads to bigger wins during negotiations in any setting, click here.
