There I stood at the entrance to track two waiting for the 7:32 train to arrive in New York. At 7:30, I heard the whistle of the train and I thought that thank God it is punctual; He had a very important meeting in New York and he didn’t want to be late.

The train stopped and, as I found out later, I was on track one. Track one was on the other side of the station, which is not where I had always taken the train in the past. I looked at the train which, from my perspective, was on the wrong track and on the wrong side of the station. I wondered what the hell was going on. It was 7:31 AM and even though the train had New York as its destination name, I was puzzled and went into process thinking mode. Meanwhile, I heard the whistle of another train and saw the train speed towards me on track one. As he passed me, without stopping, I felt confused. I couldn’t move. Needless to say, I missed the 7:32 train because I wasn’t quick enough with my thoughts to take advantage of what was right in front of me.

I was filled with dismay after that, but was reminded not to assume that things are the same overnight. You must remember that when you are negotiating.

Be careful with assumptions:

I had started my train journey many times in the past from that train station. I assumed that everything that had always been true (that is, the track the train would be on, numbered tracks in order) would be the same; the tracks were numbered two, one, three (go figure). What I did not consider was that it was the first time I had taken the train this early in the morning. He shouldn’t have assumed that things would be the same as they were later in the day.

When you are negotiating, be careful about the assumptions you make. Incorrect assumptions can lead you to miss your bargaining train (i.e. opportunities).

Your new normal happens every day:

That means what you knew yesterday will influence what you think you know today. Given that, you need to assess how the thoughts you had yesterday are influencing the decisions you make today. When negotiating, always update your thought process with the most up-to-date information.

Trust your intuition:

When negotiating, you will have sensory perceptions. Don’t ignore them. In most cases, what you are feeling is something that you grasp on a subliminal, subconscious level. Your perception is not fully registering your state of mindfulness. Since you are constantly bombarded with sensory information, your brain does not send all the data to your consciousness. You would experience data overload if that happened and that would greatly hamper your decision-making skills.

If you are at a critical stage in a negotiation, be prepared to act in a hurry if you feel that something needs immediate action. With that said, make sure you don’t move so fast that your rush turns into a disadvantageous action.

When negotiating, be prepared with the rebuttals that you will offer during negotiations. Also be aware that there will be unexpected events that you did not anticipate. When that happens, pay close attention to what you are feeling, why you may have such sensations, and the meaning that comes from them. It is an attempt by your subconscious mind to get the attention of your conscious state of mind. If the feeling is strong enough, there is hidden value in paying attention to it. Once you are more in tune with such feelings, you will start to win more negotiations … and all will be well in the world.

Remember, you are always negotiating.

#HowBestBest Negotiation #CSuite