Maybe you were placed in a role outside of your usual work remit and found yourself excelling at interacting with consumers and contractors alike – or perhaps you found yourself talking your way into a cheaper sofa in recent weeks. Either way, you’re thinking about leveraging your new-found skills.
So what places are there for someone with negotiating skills on the jobs market? First, we’ll look at the core facets of a good negotiator, then we’ll touch on the positions best suited for someone who can talk their way into anything.
What Do We Mean by Negotiation Skills?
Good negotiation skills are hard to come by due to the somewhat confrontational nature of the work.
A good negotiator tends to be a good orator – someone used to speaking publicly and finding their own words with ease. They might be used to the stage or at the very least have spent a length of time mastering the shop floor as a salesman.
Good negotiators are self-confident and willing to lead conversations themselves; they are pragmatic and know when to get down to brass tacks, but above all, they are personable.
Hallmarks of a Good Negotiator
To qualify as a good negotiator, you need to demonstrate aptitude for a number of skills a little wider than your gift of the gab alone. You must always show initiative and be willing to make decisions and agreements on behalf of your superiors, in your company’s interests, and without needing to double-check each time. Initiative is the difference between closing a deal and losing a client to a competitor.
Communication is also a hugely important skill in any role that requires negotiation. Your team and superiors need to be kept abreast of your progress in order to direct company resources in the right direction. Poor communication can result in crossed wires and misunderstandings of what exactly you’ve agreed with a client or contractor.
Patience is a virtue; it is also a key skill if you intend to occupy a role that requires negotiation skills. Talking the talk is all well and good, but just as important is knowing when to wait. The best deal doesn’t necessarily come with conversation – letting your client sweat it out and come to you first often pays dividends.
Not being adept at these skills but retaining a negotiator’s role has real-world ramifications for not just your performance, but also the dynamics of your workplace. Poor communication, lack of initiative and impatience can easily be perceived by others as toxic behaviour in the workplace.
Business card specialist instantprint conducted a survey in which it was found that lackluster communication was a predominant signifier of poor company culture.
Of the 1,000 UK workers questioned, 32.1% said a lack of clarity around projects and outcomes was a significant factor in determining the toxicity of a workplace.
Jobs for People with Good Negotiation Skills
Good negotiators are best suited for customer-facing positions, whether in procurement or sales. These roles often manifest as Sales Executive positions, Project Managers, or Procurement Executives for distribution companies.
Negotiating types also thrive in events planning, owing to the juggling of various services and contractors to pull a cohesive event together.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
