Every business is built on communications. The idea will be buried on paper forever unless you communicate it. C-level managers and startup founders have to communicate every single day, with their teams, employees, current or potential partners.
Especially startups have a lot on the plate, their key asset is enthusiasm, readiness to work hard, and ability to persuade people that their idea is worthy and promising.
The ability to communicate efficiently is a key component of a person’s emotional intellect. The Olesia Ulianova, founder of the IT Grow Center outlines the main reasons for every entrepreneur to improve his or her skill to communicate with people in different situations: negotiations, business conversation with a customer, or an informal talk with an employee.
3 reasons to improve your negotiation skills if you want to be a startup founder or a C-level manager.
You should learn to be a scanner
Scan yourself and the potential environment. Before the active stage of the negotiation, you have to analyze your own emotions and visualize expectancies. Do my emotions help me or hinder from being clear, accurate and courteous while talking? What can distract you from the chosen point, an how are you going to manage it?
Thinking about the negotiation strategy is the first key to success. What would you do, if something goes wrong? Do you have a Plan B, if the A one fails? Set several goals, and what is important, define the minimum to be agreed during the conversation, so that the negotiation can be considered as successful.
You should learn to be a scout
After you understand your own expectations from the negotiation, it is time to analyze your potential counterpart. Internet is full of information about people, moreover, they upload many facts about themselves just spontaneously. Learn more about the person you are going to talk to, try to figure out his or her values, temperament. Once you know more, it would be easier to build a corresponding negotiation strategy beforehand.
At the active part of the negotiations do not hesitate to ask questions.
Finally, you should be a driver
The key asset of a startup founder is his or her idea, dedication to it and desire to go the whole way. You should demonstrate these positive emotions to get the mirror effect and persuade the potential investor, that it is your rising business worth the support you are seeking.
Steer the negotiations, do not be steered. Take advantage, be proactive, try to be a person who suggests the solutions. Ask more than expected, and your further drawback will make the opponent more compliant.
Finally, it is important to remember that negotiation is a conversation with a potential partner, not a rival. You should try to find a common solution so that both counterparts can win from it.
Such a background will ensure your further cooperation, no matter at what stage, this one or sometime later.
Communication proficiency is one of the key aspects of personal development. The IT Grow Center helps IT-people to master their ability to communicate with different personalities, freely express their intentions, and come to aimed agreements. So, if you want to master communication skills, stay with the IT Grow Center.