Luiza Dobre’s 12 tips for successful negotiations

23.03.2022 06:55, Isabelle Mitchell

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day focused on breaking the bias. One critical skill that helps create diversity, equity, and inclusion is negotiation. In our webinar, Luiza Dobre, founder and CEO Komed Health, delivered the keynote speech and shared her best tips for successful negotiations.

Luiza and her team transform healthcare communication: Komed Health’s secure and powerful real-time communication platform supports doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers in delivering best-in-class patient care to improve well-being and save lives.

To kick off the panel discussion, Luiza shared tried-and-true tips that helped her negotiate in the Swiss startup ecosystem. 

Luiza Dobre’s 12 tips for successful negotiations 

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare
You need to prepare for every negotiation. If you do not prepare, then you have already lost. It is very important to start with yourself: Know your goal and the favorable outcome. What are the dealbreakers? Understanding the counterpart and their goals, needs, and pain points are essential. Successful preparation looks at what is in it for me and what is in it for my counterpart. 

2. Pay attention to timing
It’s important to know when to push and withdraw from a negotiation. Know what to ask for, but be sensitive to when to ask for it. You need to find the right time to ask for something. If you push too much, you might lose the opportunity. 

3. Let the ego at the door 
Focus on the forest, not the trees: What is the high-level picture that you want to achieve? Take out elements that do not matter. Be clear about what you need and stick to those objectives. Ideally, stick to one goal and negotiate the rest. Remember that it is not just about you but also your counterpart. 

4. Ramp up your listening skills 
Active listening is a skill that is really important to develop as a human being. By understanding and learning from your counterpart, you practice empathy to quickly establish rapport, gain trust, and uncover obstacles. This can open a lot of possibilities. 

5. If you do not ask, you will not get
Asking for something can be a challenge for many women. Women can be shy, but we need to step out of the shyness and ask. Do not be afraid to ask, and do not be afraid to get a “no.” 

6. Anticipate compromise 
Expect to make concessions. Of course, the other side is thinking the same, so never take someone’s first offer—even if it is better than what you expected. Practice your poker face and understand why an offer was made and if it could be even higher. It is important to stay silent now and then. You do not always have to talk. 

7. Don’t be afraid to go for the “no”
You will get a lot of no’s. I think I got more no’s in my first year as an entrepreneur than in my entire life before. A no doesn’t have to be forever. Use the rejection to your advantage: Learn why they said no. Do not just leave it there but learn from the no. Figuring out the why can help you to get to the yes. Remember to always ask for references. Maybe the timing or business model is not right for one person, but perhaps that person knows someone who would be a better fit. 

8. Offer and expect commitment 
You always have to walk the talk and expect the same. If you commit to something, you need to offer that something. This is a long-term way to win negotiations and build business partnerships. 

9. Don’t absorb their problem 
Many times, people will put their problems on you. But it is not in your interest to absorb it all. Listen and try to understand the issues, but remember that these are not your problems. Maybe you can find individual solutions for each situation, but do not embrace the counterpart’s issues and try to find all the solutions. 

10. Stick to your principles 
Remember who you are and what you stand for. Know your values,  boundaries, and dealbreakers. Be prepared to walk away. 

11. Close with a confirmation
Confirm the follow-up with calls or emails. Do not leave with open points. Follow-ups are the mother of success. Everyone is very busy, and you are probably not the number priority of anyone but yourself. If you want something, you need to go after it, so always follow up. Approach the people and things you want. 

12. Remember that there is no guarantee in business
Approach negotiations with humility, grit, and determination. There are no secrets to success. Failure is the moment you quit. Before that, there is no failure, just mistakes that you can learn from. As long as you do not quit and take it one step at a time, you can learn from your mistakes.