Build Your Negotiation Confidence One Small Step At A Time

Negotiation makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. And as a result we are absolute experts and coming up with rationalizations for why we don’t have to do something. It’s like when I know I should go for a run – but suddenly the house really needs to be cleaned, the resulting laundry is inconvenient and besides, it’s great hair day and I don’t want to ruin it… (am I alone on that?)

 
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One of the biggest rationalizations we give for why we aren’t asking for something is that it’s just too small of an ask to matter.

It’s insignificant – so why put ourselves through the prep and the panic? Just accept the status quo.

But this my dear ambitious entrepreneur – couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Even the small asks are worth making. Here’s why.

 
 

Confidence Boost

Struggle with confidence? Making small asks and getting those relatively easier wins is a great way to change our internal monologue when it comes to how crappy we are at negotiating. You know the voice. The one that tells you that you stink, that everyone always says no, that no one likes you...

One of the best ways to shut that voice up is to replace those stories of defeat with stories of success.

Get those smaller wins under your belt, and the next time a bigger ask comes along, those success stories will be the first things to come to mind. A great motivator!

(Not sure what to ask for? Get some clarity with this free guide.)

 
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Everything Builds

The cumulative effect is your friend. You’ll hear about it a lot when it comes to shaving down your budget. 'Stop buying that daily coffee and at the end of the year you’ve got yourself a nice vacation fund!'

The same goes for negotiating in your business. If you could increase each client fee by just 2%...that’s going to look mighty fine on your bottom line at the end of the year. And each of those 2% asks? Not that scary. Totally do-able.

Making an ask that saves you 1 hour a week? I bet you could come up with some fantastic uses for that hour. Like napping. Or Netflix. Or filling it with another piece of paying work.

Let me know in the comments below which small ask you'll be making this week, and how it's going to help your business move forward...one step at a time.