Episode #454: Susan Borke
Meet
Susan Borke
Susan Borke loves working with organizations that want their people to become better negotiators and has taught negotiation skills for over 35 years.
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In this episode, I welcome back Susan Borke, a Negotiation Strategist, who shares the critical elements of negotiation strategy and tactics and how to prepare effectively and confidently engage in high-stakes deals. We explore the importance of preparation, understanding your counterparty’s interests, and the power of active listening in shaping successful negotiation outcomes.
We also discuss common negotiation strategies used in complex sales and how to identify and address aggressive tactics with emotional intelligence. Susan shares personal experiences and offers practical tips to enhance your negotiation skills, ensuring all parties walk away happy.
Outline of This Episode
- (00:00) Introduction to Susan Borke
- (06:14) Effective Negotiation Preparation Strategies
- (09:44) Embrace Diverse Perspectives in Sales
- (12:22) Understanding Clients’ Perspectives in Negotiations
- (13:55) Recognizing and Disconnecting from Aggressive Negotiation Tactics
- (19:39) Negotiating Job Title and Staffing
- (21:07) Do Your Research and Determine Whether What You’re Offering Fits
The Power of Preparation
One of the key factors Susan emphasizes is the indispensable role of preparation in negotiation. She advocates for detailed planning, suggesting that at least half of the negotiation time should be spent preparing. This involves understanding your interests and objectives and making a concerted effort to comprehend the opposing party’s goals and constraints. Susan’s approach enables negotiators to approach discussions with clarity and confidence.
Preparation isn’t just about gathering facts; it’s about readying yourself emotionally. Susan stresses the importance of maintaining emotional balance to ensure that reactions do not compromise rational planning. By cultivating emotional readiness, negotiators can better manage pressures and aggressive tactics that may arise during discussions.
The Importance of Active Listening
Engagement during negotiations is as crucial as preparation. Susan shares that active listening is a key tactic in this phase, which involves genuinely understanding the other party’s explicit and implicit messages. Techniques such as summarizing or paraphrasing statements ensure mutual understanding and encourage open communication, creating a collaborative environment.
One intriguing tactic Susan mentions is “mirroring,” which involves repeating the last few words spoken by the other party. This technique encourages elaboration and reveals deeper insights, often uncovering hidden motivations. By allowing space for the counterpart’s responses, negotiators can gather essential information to pivot negotiations toward more favorable outcomes.
Understanding Perspectives and Crafting Alternatives
Susan draws a unique parallel between optical illusions and negotiation scenarios: varied perspectives require acknowledgment and understanding. Each party at the table perceives situations through their own lens, shaped by individual experiences and expectations. Recognizing these differing viewpoints is critical to crafting a negotiation strategy that resonates with all stakeholders.
Understanding the best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) is an essential aspect of this strategy. Susan highlights the power of knowing both your and your counterpart’s BATNA, which reinforces your negotiation stance. Surprisingly, many negotiators overlook their counterparts’ alternatives, missing an opportunity to strengthen their position by leveraging this knowledge.
Balancing Aggression with Poise
Negotiators often face aggressive tactics, such as ultimatums like “take it or leave it.” Susan advises sales professionals to prepare for such scenarios by setting boundaries and not yielding to emotional provocations. She illustrates the importance of remaining composed and strategic in challenging exchanges by sharing a personal story about a time she paused negotiations when she felt unfairly attacked.
Maintaining a collected demeanor enables negotiators to revisit discussions with a clear mind rather than retaliating or caving under pressure. Allowing time and space for reflection can diffuse tension and encourage a more balanced conversation.
Negotiating isn’t just about claiming victory; it’s about efficient resource disposition and creating a harmonious balance between different interests. With the right strategies and mindset, negotiation transforms from a feared task into a powerful tool for professional and personal growth.
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Learn More About Susan Borke
What was a pivotal moment in your career that shaped your approach to negotiation, and how did it influence your strategy and tactics?
One pivotal moment occurred when I was interviewing for a position at the National Geographic Society’s Television Division. The position was posted as a Contracts Manager. I wanted to make a move into entertainment business affairs. I successfully negotiated for a title change (Manager of Business Affairs) and a headcount (Business Affairs Coordinator) reporting to my position, in addition to my compensation.
Can you share a specific negotiation tactic that has consistently helped you close deals more effectively? Please provide an example of where it worked.
I am always more effective if I focus on my counterparty’s interests in my preparation and when I negotiate. In the example above, National Geographic Television wanted to expand its documentary production and distribution. Understanding that interest enabled me to explain how having a Business Affairs department would improve the organization’s profile among other entertainment companies—documentary producers and distributors–with whom National Geographic Television wanted to work.
What is the most challenging negotiation you’ve ever faced, and what strategy or tactic helped you turn it into a win?
My most challenging negotiations are personal ones, with a significant other, child, or other person close to me. To be successful, I have found timing is key, both parties need to be unrushed and preferably rested. Another important element is for me to listen both to understand what the other person is saying and ask questions that help me understand their underlying interests.
What are your top three must-have tools, frameworks, or resources that sales professionals should use to improve their negotiation skills?
Effective negotiators have a learning mindset. This means (and there are more than 3):
Learning about their counterparty’s Interests before and during a negotiation;
Reflecting upon to learn from each negotiation after it concludes;
Seeking out research and experts in negotiation, persuasion, bias, and motivation to learn new information to inform their negotiations; and
Practicing tactics, techniques, etc. in low-stakes situations to enlarge their repertoire of behaviors.
With buyer behaviors evolving and AI playing a larger role in sales, how do you see negotiation strategies and tactics changing in the future? What should sales professionals do to stay ahead?
A learning mindset especially applies to AI. Staying up to speed on how buyers (and sellers) are using AI is vital. The biggest problem is to be selective because it is easy to get overwhelmed by the possibilities. People are doing fascinating things with AI and preparing for negotiations. Some prompts can help you identify your Interests and hypothesize those of your counterparty. You can use AI to generate Options or packages. There are creative ways to use AI as a negotiating stand-in for your counterparty to practice different ways of approaching a negotiation. Companies and individuals have created case studies that allow you to practice different tactics by negotiating with an AI.
What are some simple but powerful negotiation tactics that most salespeople overlook?
Although people know the value of listening, many find it one of the most difficult skills to execute. When we feel pressure (by time, sales goals, etc.), we become focused on a goal and can develop tunnel vision. We stop listening and miss useful information. Preparing for a negotiation is also something we often skip or do only superficially. Our excuse is that we’ve had these kinds of meetings and know the drill, or we lack the time to devote to preparation. As Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Even when the situation is familiar, every negotiation is unique. When the same people can come to the same negotiation, it is even more important to invest in preparation to avoid the same result or respond effectively if your counterparty shows up differently.
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