How good of a negotiator are you?

Our reader poll today asks: How good of a negotiator are you?

• Excellent: I’m rigorous in my approach and usually successful: 15%
• Good: I generally use the same process and get decent results: 46%
• Average: My approach is haphazard, and results are hit or miss: 25%
• Not good: I lack a real approach and find success elusive: 11%
• Poor: I don’t know how to negotiate, and I usually have bad outcomes: 3%

Are your deals coming up short? Almost 40% of respondents acknowledge their negotiating skills can use some improvement. Even if you’re not negotiating contracts or big deals, you’re negotiating every day. Time off, project resources, deadlines, project scope, promotions, raises, and even where to eat lunch are all negotiations. If you don’t prepare, expect to come up short in your deals with others. Any good negotiator knows that preparation is key. Understand the other party, their interests, your interests, and what concessions you’re willing to make. A little bit of prep can go a long way in terms of achieving negotiating success.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.