Managing Rejections in Negotiations: Strategy and Balance

In every negotiation, the possibility of rejection is as real as the hope for agreement. The key is not to avoid rejections but to manage and leverage them to your advantage. Persuasion, while a powerful tool, can sometimes backfire, creating resistance instead of agreement.

In this article, we’ll explore how to tread the fine line between persuasion and aggression, and why understanding the nuanced difference between persuasion and negotiation can significantly improve your outcomes.

Understanding the Nuances

Persuasion often involves convincing others to accept your viewpoint or proposal. Negotiation, however, is a process of reaching a mutual agreement by understanding the other party’s needs and concerns. It’s important to know when to be persuasive and when to be amenable.

“Do not underestimate the power of empathy in negotiation. Recognizing the other person’s stance and working towards a common goal can often yield better results than the hardest push of persuasion.”

By the end of this read, you’ll have a fresh perspective on handling rejections and moving forward in negotiations with confidence and finesse.

When to and when not to use persuasion

I am using this quote from one of India’s top corporate leaders Mr Harsh Mariwala, Chairman of Marico Industries - When I was younger, I believed that having things go my way meant I was victorious. So I’d bulldoze my way through negotiations. At that moment, I felt great. But slowly, the problems would resurface. Eventually, I learnt that for permanent solutions to problems, both parties must gain something. Doing what is right is more important than always being right. #HarshRealities.

The simple point here is that every attempt to persuade the other party to accept your ideas is like trying to “being right” and not “doing the right thing”. You can have great persuasion skills and the other party might accept your proposal, however the chances are very high that the solution is temporary. So there are two issues that we can address here How to use persuasion during a negotiation? What to do when your proposals are rejected?

In a negotiation process you can use persuasion only once when you make the first proposal. All your persuasion skills need to be deployed full scale when you start your negotiating dialogue. Make sure you communicate every aspect of your proposal - the positives, potential improvements and the concerns you might have at this stage itself. This gives the other party confidence that you have evaluated the proposal in a holistic way and understand the benefits and risks equally. There are two responses expected - the other party gets interested and asks objective questions to get more clarity, or they reject your proposal and bring in their ideas.

This is the moment of mindfulness, this moment of rejection is when you put aside your ego, take a step back and simply listen without countering their proposal. Be patient and allow the other person to express himself fully. Any attempt to interrupt or persuade can lead to disagreement and unintended argument.

When the other party realizes that you are here to listen and take actions based on their proposal is when you enter a constructive argument phase. Remember again that this is not the time of “being right” or “being persuasive”. Try to do three things first - verify assumptions, check facts and find similarities at both ends. The result of this dialogue is that you get proper feedback on your proposal, enabling you to identify areas of disconnect and move forward with amendments to accommodate their needs.

You might have a feeling that if I accept and work towards fulfilling the other party’s proposal then how will my needs be met? That’s where negotiations become interesting…. Write in or call us to know more, looking forward.