In my training I am always surprised to find how few people understand the basics of negotiation. Over the next few weeks we will explore how you can negotiate better deals for yourself and your customers. You will need these skills if you are going to convert the big contracts we talked about last week.

We all negotiate every day of our lives for something. You may be negotiating with your boss to get a salary increase or with your customer to close the deal. You may be negotiating with the unions to keep the wages down or with your children to keep their rooms tidy. You may even find yourself negotiating with the waiter to get your R100 note back.

Of course you have heard of the negotiating principle that says you should go for "Win-Win", but what does that mean to you? Most of us go for "Win-Lose" in a negotiation on the basis that we win and the others lose. So what is wrong with that?

If you want to win in the negotiation you need to be powerful, but where does that power come from? Knowledge makes you powerful of course, but there are two other areas of power that are going to help you secure "Win-Win" solutions.

Positional Bargaining is the traditional way we negotiate. You ask for $100 and I offer $50 and we have both taken a position. This may not be the best way to negotiate, however, and today we will look at a different approach to the negotiation.

Of course you want more out of the negotiation but so does your negotiating opponent. How do you ensure that you both get more?

Human beings are not good listeners. It has to be said that women are generally better listeners than men but we all need to improve our listening ability. Today's session is going to concentrate on how to improve your listening skills.

We have spent the last few weeks focusing our attention on negotiating a better deal with our Customers. You will now understand that "Win-Win" is not only possible and even desirable but also very necessary if we are going to get what we want and keep our customers at the same time. You should now be making sure the power is on your side, completing two wish lists before you start the negotiation and always be looking to make the pie bigger.