The Three levels of Negotiations and Using Them For Success

[midsummervoice]

Are your negotiation skills holding you back from having as much success as you could?

Let's find out which stage you're at! 🧐
I went through all 3 (too long in stage 1, missing out on tons of opportunity)

Freelancing and working on Fiverr is exciting, but did you know negotiations play a HUGE part in your success?
It seems silly to say.
Most people have no idea how much negotiations play a part.

As you advance and grow, you go through three distinct stages.

Here are the 3 stages of negotiation on Fiverr.

1️⃣ No negotiation:
As a beginner, you might avoid negotiations due to fear.
You view it as a battle scene where there are victors and losers.
And you will do whatever you can to avoid conflict.

When you’re afraid to talk about money, you don’t make any.

The other end of the spectrum are those who do ZERO negotiations.
“My rates are what they are, take it or leave it.”
This is usually from a place of ego and lack of self-confidence.
You feel your rates are a measure of your value.
But because you don’t have confidence in your value, you aren’t able to have conversations about it.

Don't let fear or ego hold you back!

2️⃣ Ruthless negotiation:
Gaining experience, you'll negotiate hard.
You realize that everything is negotiable.
You then do everything you can to maximize outcomes for yourself in every situation possible.

The problem is:
You can sheer a sheep many times, but skin it only once.

When you maximize your extraction, you end up straining your partners.
You gain on some of your deals, but miss out in the long run.
Despite good results, you're not forming good relationships.
Everything is still a battle of wills.

Remember, long-term relationships matter!

3️⃣ Relationship building:

Now you’ve achieved mastery.
You no longer have ego in every interaction.
Your negotiations aren’t emotional reactions.

You understand the importance of long-lasting partnerships.
It’s no longer about needing to be the winner every time.
You look at negotiations in a way to gauge what’s the best possible outcome for everyone from this?

You learn that negotiation isn't a zero-sum game.
A successful negotiation allows everyone to walk away better off than before, creating win-win situations.
That’s the point.
Master negotiators focus on win-win situations, building strong partnerships.
That’s where you need to get.

So, what stage are you in? Comment below with 1, 2, or 3!

Knowing is half the battle – or in this case, negotiation! 😉

PS: What's your favorite negotiation trick?

[Yoav.M]

@midsummervoice - You're a rockstar!!! Love your posts!

[visualstudios]

Great post!

I'd like to be 3 all the time, but must confess that fall into 2 and 1 sometimes, due to the way some systems are designed, and the way some clients act. With the right clients, 3 is definitely the way to go - but it's hard to form a relationship when the client does not respect you. Give a hand, they take the entire arm, you know. In some cases, the best negotiation is no negotiation - as any negotiation would be a waste of time.

[midsummervoice]

8 hours ago, visualstudios said:

Great post!

I'd like to be 3 all the time, but must confess that fall into 2 and 1 sometimes, due to the way some systems are designed, and the way some clients act. With the right clients, 3 is definitely the way to go - but it's hard to form a relationship when the client does not respect you. Give a hand, they take the entire arm, you know. In some cases, the best negotiation is no negotiation - as any negotiation would be a waste of time.

Negotiating is about an alignment of values and making sure that both people come out ahead, including you. Sometimes that means that the best negotiation is in fact no negotiation. The buyer is never the problem...poor communication is the problem. Sometimes that problem is too big a hurdle to jump.

[visualstudios]

18 minutes ago, midsummervoice said:

The buyer is never the problem...poor communication is the problem

Well, if they are unable to communicate, I'd say they are the problem. Or if they're out to basically scam you. Some people are just problematic.

[michmikaia]

8 hours ago, visualstudios said:

Great post!

I'd like to be 3 all the time, but must confess that fall into 2 and 1 sometimes, due to the way some systems are designed, and the way some clients act. With the right clients, 3 is definitely the way to go - but it's hard to form a relationship when the client does not respect you. Give a hand, they take the entire arm, you know. In some cases, the best negotiation is no negotiation - as any negotiation would be a waste of time.

I couldn't agree more. I'd say everything depends on the first contact with clients to see how are they. We might now it immediately; but the longer the conversation, the more we know who we will work with. Communication is key.

Anyway, thanks for sharing @midsummervoice.