Negotiating project details with stakeholders: How do you get what you need?

1 Know your goals and priorities

Before you enter any negotiation, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you are willing to compromise on. What are the main objectives and deliverables of your project? What are the critical success factors and key performance indicators? What are the non-negotiables and the nice-to-haves? Having a clear vision of your goals and priorities will help you focus on the most important issues and avoid getting distracted by minor details.

2 Understand your stakeholders' interests and concerns

Another key step in preparing for a negotiation is to research and empathize with your stakeholders. Who are they, what are their roles and responsibilities, what are their expectations and preferences, what are their pain points and challenges, what are their motivations and incentives? By understanding your stakeholders' interests and concerns, you can tailor your communication style and strategy to address them. You can also identify areas of common ground and potential trade-offs that can benefit both parties.

3 Establish rapport and trust

Negotiation is not only about logic and facts, but also about emotions and relationships. To negotiate effectively, you need to establish rapport and trust with your stakeholders. This means showing respect, listening actively, asking open-ended questions, acknowledging their perspectives, and expressing appreciation. By building rapport and trust, you can create a positive and collaborative atmosphere that facilitates dialogue and cooperation.

4 Use persuasive techniques

Once you have established rapport and trust, there are several persuasive techniques you can use to influence your stakeholders and convince them to agree with your proposals. Framing your proposals in a way that highlights the benefits and value for your stakeholders, while minimizing the risks and costs, is one such technique. Additionally, setting a high or low initial offer or expectation can influence the subsequent negotiation process and outcome. Mirroring your stakeholders' body language, tone, and words to create rapport and alignment is another useful technique. Offering something of value or making a concession to your stakeholders in exchange for their agreement or cooperation is also effective. Lastly, creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity for your proposals by emphasizing the limited time, resources, or opportunities available can be beneficial.

5 Handle objections and conflicts

Even if you use persuasive techniques, you may still encounter objections and conflicts from your stakeholders. These may arise from different opinions, preferences, assumptions, or expectations. To handle objections and conflicts effectively, it is important to stay calm and respectful while avoiding getting defensive or emotional. Additionally, ask questions to understand the reasons and sources of the objections and conflicts, and acknowledge your stakeholders' feelings and viewpoints. Reframing and redirecting the objections and conflicts in a more constructive and positive way can help redirect the focus to the common goals and interests. Lastly, explore options and alternatives that can satisfy both parties' needs and expectations, while being willing to make concessions and trade-offs.

6 Confirm and follow up

The final step in negotiating project details with stakeholders is to confirm and follow up on the agreements and commitments made. This requires reviewing and summarizing the main points and outcomes of the negotiation, and documenting them in a written form, such as a contract or proposal. Additionally, it is important to inform and update the relevant parties and stakeholders about the agreements and commitments, and ensure they remain aligned throughout the project lifecycle. Finally, you should deliver on your promises, evaluate the results of the project, as well as your own performance and learning as a negotiator.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?