Mastering Negotiation Skills for Non-Sales Staff: A Practical Guide

谈判技巧精要：实战指南（非销售方向）

In the world of business, negotiation isn't just for sales teams; it's a vital skill for every professional. Non-sales staff often engage in negotiations with internal stakeholders, dealing with challenges ranging from budget constraints to resource allocation. The key to mastering these negotiations lies in preparation, communication, and strategic decision-making. Let’s dive into how non-sales staff can enhance their negotiation skills to drive organisational success.

在商业世界中，谈判不仅仅是销售团队的专属，它是每位专业人士都不可或缺的重要技能。非销售人员经常与内部利益相关者进行谈判，面对从预算限制到资源分配的种种挑战。掌握这些谈判的关键在于充分的准备、有效的沟通以及战略性的决策制定。让我们深入探讨非销售人员如何提升谈判技巧，以推动组织成功。

We will comprehensively discuss negotiation skills (non-sales direction) from six dimensions, along with practical application cases in the workplace. Mastering this skill will enable you to effectively respond to various business scenarios involving negotiation!

我们将从六个维度全面的讨论谈判技能（非销售方向）的方法论以及在实际工作中的应用案例。掌握这项技能将能够帮助你准确应对各种涉及谈判的商业场景！

Six dimensions of negotiation skills (non-sales)

六个谈判技能方法维度（非销售方向）

In-depth preparation - Non-sales staff - centring on internal data and procedural awareness, broader organisational and stakeholder perspective

Negotiation goals - Non-sales staff - focus on internal alignment, conflict resolution, and operational effectiveness

Communication - Non-sales staff - more structured, data-driven communication, oriented towards internal collaboration

Risk taking - Non-sales staff - more risk averse, focusing on organisational stability and compliance

Decision-making processes - Non-sales staff - consultative and policy-driven decision-making, often requiring approval from multiple stakeholders

Contingency planning - Non-sales staff - holistic, risk-averse contingency planning, considering broader organisational impact

深入准备 - 以内部数据和流程意识为中心，关注更广泛的组织和利益相关者视角

谈判目标 - 关注内部协调、冲突解决和运营效率

沟通 - 更加结构化、数据驱动的沟通，面向内部协作

风险承担 - 更加规避风险，关注组织稳定性和合规性

决策过程 - 咨询性和政策驱动的决策过程，通常需要多个利益相关者的批准

应急规划 - 非销售人员 - 全面、规避风险的应急规划，考虑更广泛的组织影响

   Dimension 1 第一个维度  

In-depth Preparation: Building a Strong Foundation

深入准备：奠定坚实基础

Effective negotiations start with thorough preparation. Non-sales professionals should focus on gathering and analysing internal data, understanding organisational procedures, and considering the perspectives of all stakeholders involved.

• Stakeholder Analysis: It's crucial to identify the positions, interests, and influence of both internal and external stakeholders. By understanding each party’s priorities, you can tailor your negotiation strategy to address their concerns and secure a mutually beneficial outcome.

• Data and Information Gathering: Equip yourself with data to back up your negotiation stance. For example, knowing budget constraints or project timelines gives you a solid foundation to support your requests.

• Scenario Planning: Prepare for various outcomes by considering best and worst-case scenarios. This enables you to adapt quickly to unexpected turns during negotiations.

By adopting these preparation strategies, non-sales staff can enter negotiations with confidence, armed with the knowledge to steer discussions toward a successful conclusion.

有效的谈判始于周密的准备。非销售专业人员应专注于收集和分析内部数据、了解组织程序，并考虑所有涉及的利益相关者的立场。

• 利益相关者分析：识别内部和外部利益相关者的立场、利益及影响力至关重要。通过了解各方的优先事项，你可以量身定制谈判策略，以应对其关切并达成双赢结果。

• 数据与信息收集：用数据支持你的谈判立场。例如，了解预算限制或项目时间表将为你提出请求提供坚实基础。

• 情景规划：通过考虑最佳和最坏情景来准备应对各种结果。这能让你在谈判中迅速适应意外变化。

采用这些准备策略，非销售人员可以满怀信心地进入谈判，以知识为武器，引导讨论走向成功。

A real-world case that illustrates how to apply in-depth preparation in an internal negotiation scenario:

让我们通过一个实际案例，了解如何在非销售的谈判场景中应用“深入准备”的方法：

Securing Additional Budget for an IT Project

为IT项目争取额外预算

Scenario:
Sarah, a project manager in the IT department of a large corporation, needs to negotiate additional budget allocation for an ongoing system upgrade project. The initial budget was underestimated, and unforeseen technical issues have pushed the project off-track. Sarah now has to convince the Finance and Operations departments to approve the additional funds needed to complete the project without disrupting the overall company budget.

场景：
Sarah是一家大型公司IT部门的项目经理，她需要为一项正在进行的系统升级项目争取额外的预算分配。初始预算被低估，且未预见的技术问题导致项目偏离了轨道。Sarah现在必须说服财务部和运营部批准额外资金，以完成项目而不影响公司的整体预算。

Step 1: Stakeholder Analysis

Before the negotiation, Sarah conducts an analysis of the key stakeholders involved:

• Finance Department: Their primary concern is staying within the annual budget. They hold a cautious stance towards additional spending due to financial constraints and aim to allocate resources to projects with the highest return on investment.

• Operations Department: The system upgrade impacts the day-to-day operations. They need the upgrade to be completed to improve process efficiency and reduce downtime but are wary of further delays and disruptions.

• IT Team: The team is responsible for implementing the project. Their interest lies in securing the necessary resources to ensure the upgrade is completed successfully.

Sarah recognises that to persuade Finance, she must demonstrate how the additional funding will result in long-term savings. Meanwhile, she needs to reassure the Operations team that completing the upgrade promptly will benefit their department by enhancing efficiency.

第一步：利益相关者分析

在谈判之前，Sarah对涉及的关键利益相关者进行了分析：

• 财务部：他们的主要关注点是保持在年度预算之内。由于财务限制，他们对额外支出持谨慎态度，并希望将资源分配给投资回报率最高的项目。

• 运营部：系统升级影响日常运营。他们需要完成升级以提高流程效率并减少停机时间，但对进一步的延误和中断保持警惕。

• IT团队：该团队负责实施项目。他们的兴趣在于确保获得必要的资源以成功完成升级。

Sarah认识到，为了说服财务部，她必须展示额外资金将如何带来长期节省。同时，她需要向运营部保证及时完成升级将通过提高效率来惠及他们的部门。

Step 2: Data and Information Gathering

Next, Sarah gathers relevant data to support her negotiation:

• Budget Breakdown: She prepares a detailed breakdown of the current project expenses and how the additional funds would be utilised. This includes a cost-benefit analysis that outlines the potential savings once the upgrade is complete.

• Timeline Analysis: Sarah collects data on the project’s current status, explaining the delays caused by technical issues and how the extra budget will help mitigate further setbacks.

• Performance Metrics: She compiles data on the expected operational improvements post-upgrade, such as reduced system downtime and faster processing speeds, to show the Operations department the potential benefits.

Armed with these facts and figures, Sarah now has a solid foundation for her negotiation stance.

第二步：数据和信息收集

接下来，Sarah收集了支持其谈判的相关数据：

• 预算细分：她准备了当前项目费用的详细细分，以及额外资金将如何使用的说明。这包括一项成本效益分析，概述了升级完成后可能节省的潜在成本。

• 时间线分析：Sarah收集了关于项目当前状态的数据，解释了技术问题导致的延误，以及额外预算将如何帮助减轻进一步的挫折。

• 性能指标：她编制了升级后预期运营改进的数据，如减少系统停机时间和加快处理速度，以向运营部展示潜在的好处。

有了这些事实和数字，Sarah现在为她的谈判立场打下了坚实的基础。

Step 3: Scenario Planning

To be fully prepared, Sarah considers multiple negotiation outcomes:

• Best-Case Scenario: The Finance department agrees to provide the full additional budget, allowing the project to proceed without further delays. Sarah presents a detailed project plan, illustrating how the funds will be used efficiently and the expected positive impact on company operations.

• Moderate Scenario: Finance agrees to a partial budget increase, requiring Sarah to adjust the project’s scope to fit within the new financial constraints. In this case, she prepares alternative plans that prioritise critical system features and delay non-essential upgrades.

• Worst-Case Scenario: Finance refuses to provide additional funding. To prepare for this outcome, Sarah has an action plan ready, which includes reallocating existing resources within the IT department, extending the project timeline, or seeking cross-departmental support from other areas that will benefit from the upgrade.

By considering these scenarios, Sarah can quickly adapt her negotiation strategy in real-time depending on the response she receives from Finance.

第三步：情景规划

为了充分准备，Sarah考虑了多种谈判结果：

• 最佳情况：财务部同意提供全部额外预算，使项目能够继续进行而无需进一步延误。Sarah展示了一个详细的项目计划，说明了资金将如何有效使用以及对公司运营的预期积极影响。

• 中等情况：财务部同意部分增加预算，要求Sarah根据项目的新财务限制调整范围。在这种情况下，她准备了替代计划，优先考虑关键系统功能并推迟非必要升级。

• 最坏情况：财务部拒绝提供额外资金。为了应对这一结果，Sarah准备了一个行动计划，包括在IT部门内部重新分配现有资源、延长项目时间线或寻求将从升级中受益的其他部门的跨部门支持。

通过考虑这些情景，Sarah可以根据财务部的回应实时快速调整其谈判策略。

Outcome:

During the negotiation meeting, Sarah presents her analysis:

• She starts by outlining the project's current status, providing data to highlight why additional funds are necessary.

• She emphasises the benefits for the Operations department, using performance metrics to showcase how the upgrade will lead to long-term cost savings and increased efficiency.

• When Finance raises concerns about budget constraints, Sarah presents her scenario planning, showing how she has already considered different outcomes and is prepared to adjust the project scope if required.

Through thorough preparation, stakeholder analysis, and a clear presentation of data, Sarah successfully persuades Finance to approve a partial budget increase. With her alternative plan ready, she adjusts the project's scope, ensuring that the critical upgrades are prioritised, and moves forward with the project with minimal disruption.

结果：

在谈判会议上，Sarah展示了她的分析：

• 她首先概述了项目的当前状态，提供了数据以强调为什么需要额外资金。

• 她强调了运营部的好处，使用性能指标来展示升级将如何带来长期成本节省和效率提升。

• 当财务部提出预算限制的问题时，Sarah展示了她的情景规划，表明她已经考虑了不同的结果，并准备在需要时调整项目范围。

通过深入准备、利益相关者分析和清晰的数据展示，Sarah成功地说服了财务部批准部分预算增加。凭借她的替代计划，她调整了项目范围，确保了关键升级的优先权，并以最小的干扰推进了项目。

Key Takeaway:

In-depth preparation is the backbone of successful negotiations. By understanding the priorities of different stakeholders, gathering supporting data, and preparing for various outcomes, non-sales professionals like Sarah can navigate complex internal negotiations effectively and reach mutually beneficial agreements.

收获：

深入准备是成功谈判的基石。通过了解不同利益相关者的优先事项、收集支持数据并为各种结果做好准备，像Sarah这样的非销售专业人员可以有效地处理复杂的内部谈判，并达成双赢的协议。

Reflect on your current work portfolio and identify the ongoing projects that necessitate the application of negotiation skills. Endeavour to utilise the 'deep preparation' approach to lay a solid foundation for the success of your negotiations.

请思考你目前的工作中，有哪些正在进行的项目需要应用谈判技能？尝试应用“深入准备”的方法，为你的谈判成功建立坚实基础。

To access further techniques spanning five additional dimensions, please subscribe to our publication on WeChatto receive notifications of article updates.

需要了解另外五个维度的方法技巧，请订阅我们的公众号，获得文章更新通知。

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BMC Partnership was founded and registered in Shanghai, China at the start of 2018. The company is a partnership and is wholly owned by its two founding partners, Shaun Corrigan (CEO from UK) and Charlie He (Managing Director from China).

Shaun and Charlie realised the ongoing need in the Chinese business services market for products of an international standard and the poor quality of many of the existing provider offerings - largely due to a lack of real world business experience and inability to offer tailored solutions.

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