Deadlock in business negotiations

The deadlock in business negotiations will affect the negotiation process and delay the signing of the agreement, which is unwilling to be seen by sincere negotiators on both sides. However, because the negotiation is related to interests, the two sides of the negotiation are likely to come to an impasse in the process of exchanging information. Once deadlocked, both sides should correctly understand, avoid unnecessary quarrels and find strategies to break the deadlock. I have sorted out the deadlock in business negotiations for your reference.

The reason for the deadlock in business negotiation (1) is uneven strength. In business negotiations, the strength of negotiators is uneven, and there is generally no deadlock under the influence of a single factor. However, under the influence of multiple factors, negotiators are easy to contain each other because of uneven strength. In the practice of business negotiation, one party thinks that he has a "comparative advantage" on one negotiation topic, but knows that his opponent has a "comparative advantage" on another negotiation topic, which is likely to deliberately create a deadlock for the other party, with the aim of putting pressure on him to submit.

(2) Time pressure. The so-called time pressure has two meanings. First, according to the business plan of the enterprise, the negotiation has a clear end period; Second, taking time as a bargaining chip depends on the development of the negotiation situation. If the other party is limited by the negotiation time, it is likely to be subject to the deadlock created by the other party. The party who can't bear the time pressure often makes many concessions.

(3) Interest gap. The two sides of the negotiation stopped the negotiation because their respective interests were not met. When the expected benefits are not compensated, it will lead to a deadlock or even a breakdown in the negotiations.

(4) Conflict of rules. The so-called conflict of rules means that in the process of business negotiation, negotiators violate the rules of the game by coercive means, excessive pressure, setting traps and other means to achieve the purpose of negotiation. Usually, once the rules conflict but the other party can't tolerate it, the negotiation will definitely enter a deadlock, and if it is not handled properly, the negotiation will be aborted. In actual negotiations, in order to test the other party's negotiating goal and strength, one party to the negotiation is likely to put forward unreasonable demands, exert excessive pressure, confuse the other party, and even cause a quarrel, which will lead to a deadlock in the negotiations and force the other party to yield.

(5) restrictions on rights. In actual negotiations, negotiators are likely to be deadlocked because of the limitation of the right to negotiate. Because in business negotiations, it is often not the most powerful person in the enterprise who plays the role of negotiation, when the subject of negotiation involves major decisions of the enterprise, the negotiators will inevitably stop to analyze the problems in the negotiation and think about the methods of dissolution.

(6) conflict of positions. In business negotiations, if both sides hold their own views and opinions on a certain negotiation topic, the more they stick to their own positions, the greater the differences. At this time, the interest negotiation will evolve into a contest of willpower between the two sides. When the conflict between the two sides intensified, the two sides did not compromise each other and formed confrontation, which eventually led to deadlock. In the actual negotiation process, in order to safeguard their legitimate interests, negotiators will oppose each other on a certain issue; When one's own opinions are not reasonably resolved, it may lead to deadlock and force the other party to make concessions.

(7) personal prejudice. Prejudice refers to the phenomenon that judgment is made according to some appearances or false information, which leads to misjudgment or the judgment itself is inconsistent with the real situation of the judgment object. Personal prejudice can easily lead to a deadlock in business negotiations, because personal prejudice is usually generalized and unbearable. The reason of personal prejudice is often related to the negotiator's educational level, professional quality and professional knowledge. On the surface, negotiators understand the negotiation theme expounded by their opponents, but this understanding is highly subjective and even goes against the essence of the negotiation theme, so negotiations with personal prejudice will definitely come to an impasse.

(8) communication barriers. Communication obstacles in business negotiation refer to emotional opposition or understanding obstacles caused by objective or subjective reasons during the negotiation process. Communication barriers can be divided into the following aspects:

① Cultural background differences. This kind of obstacle is easy to appear in international business negotiations, and the negotiations may be deadlocked because of a mistake in translation. For example, when the meaning of the same noun is different between the two countries, literal translation will easily lead to misunderstanding and lead to deadlock in the negotiations. In actual international business negotiations, negotiators may also refuse to make concessions in order to safeguard national dignity, leading to a deadlock in the negotiations.

② Differences in values. Values refer to a person's overall evaluation and view of the significance and importance of the surrounding objective things (including people, things and things). On the one hand, values show value orientation, on the other hand, they show value scale. In actual business negotiations, the negotiators will have different views on the same negotiation topic because of different values, which will lead to disputes and eventually lead to deadlock. For example, the values of eastern and western countries are very different: the values of eastern countries pay attention to people's moral concepts and dedication, while the values of western countries pay attention to people's equality, nationality, individuality, freedom and spirit of struggle.

③ Differences in ways of thinking. The way of thinking can reflect a social phenomenon to some extent. It is mainly caused by acquired education or environmental impact. Differences in thinking patterns among negotiators may also lead to a deadlock in business negotiations. For example, the negotiator's "centralized statement" means that one party talks too much about his own views and does not give the other party a chance to react and state, which makes the other party feel dissatisfied and forms a potential deadlock.

④ Interpersonal differences. In business negotiations, if it is the first negotiation or the two sides have not fully established a cooperative relationship of mutual trust, there is a greater possibility of deadlock in the negotiation process. At the same time, the embarrassing personal relationship between negotiators will also prompt both sides to refuse to make concessions, leading to a deadlock in the negotiations.

(9) Environmental changes. In business negotiations, it may be because of changes in the external environment (such as prices, exchange rates, national policies, etc. ) that is, one party is unwilling to reach the initial interest commitment, and the negotiations will enter a deadlock.

(10) Political relevance. The experience of negotiators believes that negotiations linked to politics are also prone to deadlock. Because if the negotiation involves political purposes, there are many factors that must be considered, and a slightly controversial issue will lead to deadlock.

Several strategic deadlocks in business negotiations

This deadlock is artificial and planned. It is the result that one side deliberately pushes the pressure on the other side, making the other side bear the pressure and deliberately causing deadlock, thus winning time for itself and creating advantages. This is a delaying negotiation strategy.

Emotional deadlock

Emotion plays a very important role in the negotiation process. Few people can get rid of emotional factors, and negotiators are no exception. Emotional deadlock means that during the negotiation process, one party's behavior causes the dissatisfaction of the other party, which leads to contradictions and conflicts, tit for tat, an eye for an eye and a tense situation. For the emotional deadlock, mainly from the perspective of avoidance, try to eliminate misunderstandings and unblock roadblocks. Emotional deadlock is often caused by the intense atmosphere between the two sides in business negotiations. Most of them are caused by improper words and sentences. For example, in a price negotiation, one party blurted out, "The price is too high, you simply want money!" The other party immediately retorted, "Then the price you offered is unheard of. Do you want me to give it to you for nothing! " If you don't agree, leave at once Emotion can't replace principle, and emotion can't bring benefits. The two sides of the negotiation came to seek common interests, and fighting in anger hindered the negotiation process of the other side. After all, this is against the original intention of both sides and against the purpose. We will continue to ask ourselves and reflect. This foothold determines the main way to resolve the emotional deadlock.

Substantive deadlock

Strictly speaking, the substantive deadlock is the most difficult deadlock in negotiations, because it involves the core of commercial transactions-economic interests. Due to the big gap between the two sides, it is difficult to reach an agreement, and both sides hold their own opinions. Inappropriate association leads to a substantive deadlock. Of course, this classification only summarizes various types of deadlocks, and we just summarize and integrate them from thick lines.

For the substantive deadlock, we should resolve contradictions, eliminate differences, narrow the distance and restore normal channels from the perspective of understanding and in accordance with the principle of negotiation. My mentor, Roger Dawson, a world negotiator, mentioned in his best-selling book Superior Execution that negotiation is based on value to seek the interests of both parties and reach an agreement, and the final decision is not made through bargaining. When the interests of both sides conflict, we should stick to some objective criteria to make decisions, rather than a contest of willpower between the two sides. To separate people from problems, we should focus on interests rather than positions, put forward plans that are beneficial to each other, and adhere to objective standards. In short, people have emotions, needs and opinions. Negotiations between individuals should be based on objective reality rather than subjectivity. Generally speaking, we should start from three aspects: viewpoint, emotion and negotiation. That is, when the other party's point of view is incorrect, look for opportunities for him to correct it; If the other person is too excited, you should give some understanding; When misunderstanding occurs, we should try our best to strengthen communication between the two sides.

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