Is it a good thing your counterpart knows how to negotiate?

I have ended up discussing this topic several times in recent weeks where it was stated that it would be preferred if the counterpart in a negotiation was not a trained negotiator.

It could not be further from the truth, in fact it is the exact opposite. Negotiation techniques are not something mysterious that should be kept a secret for most. On the contrary, by having a counterpart who knows how to negotiate you are much more likely of having a productive negotiation with less conflicts and where the potential of ensuring an agreement that have fully investigated all possibilities of adding value for both parties has been maximised.

I always say that the biggest problem is actually when you have to negotiate with someone who does not know how to do it, at least if you need to reach some sort of agreement. These types of negotiations often have a tendency to go down the following path: Your inexperienced counterpart, in the belief of being a hard ball negotiator, paint their way into a corner where the only option is for them to loose face or that you “rescue” them back to the negotiation table, the latter not always being that easy to do.

So be glad the next time you end up at the negotiation table with someone who knows how to negotiate and encourage development within this field to your business partners as this will for sure benefit you in the long run.