Anytime two or more people are having a conversation with the goal of coming to a mutually advantageous agreement, a negotiation is taking place. Though there are instances where one party benefits, the beneficial outcome typically aims to satisfy the needs of both parties. Points of contention are settled through negotiations, and as a result, one party to the negotiation—or both parties—gain an edge. In order to have a negotiation, a stance must be presented, followed by minor concessions meant to reach an understanding. The primary factor that determines a successful outcome of a negotiation is the degree in which the bargaining parties trust each other (Smead, Richard G. p.24). I am preparing to negotiate with my landlord concerning paying rent this month because I have been receiving poor services as a resident of Granite Capital apartments. This paper is a negotiation plan concerning my refusal to pay rent.
Negotiation Strategies and Planning
The main aim of this negotiation is to be allowed to stay in the granite capital premises free for the coming two months because the agency had forfeited most of the agreements that we made before I resided in their apartment. I wish to stay without paying rent for two months so that the first month will be a compensation of the expenses that I have incurred in buying water on a daily basis. I have also acquired pneumonia resulting to heavy hospital bills. Therefore the rent for this month is to be taken as compensation for both expenses and medical cover. In the second month, I will be staying in the apartment on my down payment before I leave, because I don't trust Granite Capital to refund my down payment since they have not been able to honor our initial agreement.
If at all am not allowed to stay without paying the rent, then Granite Capital agents are to pay for my medication. Secondly, they are to refund me any amount of cash that I used to buy water that I have been spending for the past four months. Thirdly they are to return my down payment without subtracting any cost on damages since they had promised to repair the house a week after I moved in; unfortunately, they were not able to honor their pledge. My objective is to win in this negotiation since I have suffered a lot due to their empty promises and they have violated our agreement.
Strategy and Tactics to Achieve My Goal
The first strategy that I am planning to employ is making multiple offers simultaneously. I will start giving my concerns as to why I should not pay the rent for this month since Granite Capital has breached my trust and failed to honor our agreement. Giving them multiple offers on what to do for my case will give me a clue on where I might find some value-creating, a win-win trade, and I can even generate a mutual gain (Miles, Edward W. p.289). The second strategy that I am planning to employ is including a matching right in my negotiation. I will let them know that once my demands are met, I will be ready to move out of the apartment peacefully without interfering with any of their customers. The third strategy that I am planning to use is a contingent agreement where I am planning promises that in case my demands are met, I am willing to remain as a tenant or move out of the premises without delay. Before finishing my arguments, I will search for a robust post-settlement settlement. The post-settlement settlement will be achieved when giving an alternative to my argument that will be more expensive for Granite Capital compared to the initial demands.
The first tactic that I am going to employ is sharing information about my concerns before meeting Granite Capital officials for negotiation. The sharing of information early will almost ensure that I end up as a winner in the negotiation. The second tactic will be using is to give my opinion in order. I will start with the strongest point that will enable my winning in this negotiation and then finish with the list point but with a strong statement at the end. The third tactic that I will employ is to understand the legal grounds on my negotiations and at the same time understanding my walk-away price. I have to know my walk-away price from the beginning with the legal grounds that cover my demands because the primary target is getting my walk-away price.
I will apply the following method to implement my strategies. First, I will annotate each initiative in my strategic plan by first stating five crucial points which include; who I am negotiating with, what are we negotiating about, why are we negotiating, when are we negotiating, and the resources needed in the negotiation. The second method is prioritizing my objectives as strategic plans and at the set time setting a realistic timetable. Thirdly, I will apply alternatives in case some of my strategies don't work. The fourth method is to do all that I can to keep my strategies dynamic and ongoing. The fifth method will be evaluating my results before giving my final remarks on the negotiation.
Negotiation Planning
When planning on the negotiation, I will identify the bargaining mix by first understanding the laws that protect rental property owners. Once I have understood the rules, I will be able to come up with a defense mechanism that will apply in case Granite Capital is planning to slap me with a lawsuit to make me come down and walk away with their terms. I will have to identify my goals and rank them in order starting with the highest to the lowest. However, my primary purpose is to win in the negotiation because I feel that I have been denied my rights yet we had made an agreement when I was moving in as a tenant. To attain success in this negotiation, I will use a very strong opening remark that is backed with points from the legal perspective.
I will apply the best alternative to a negotiated agreement by raising the issue of complaints from the other tenants. I will also include BATNA through raising the issue concerning the meetings that we have been calling, and for the past four months, there has never been any meeting resulting in my despair and wish to be compensated through my demands. I will have to understand my opponents at this point who are Granite Capital agents, and I will be ready to oppose them in case they are not willing to honor my request now. I will have to prepare to stand my ground considering the fact that I feel that my agreements have not been met and in case my opponents are not willing to meet my terms, then I will have to seek legal assistance in court. I will also have to determine how I will have to bring out my issues procedurally aiming at winning in this particular negotiation. My principles will be to stand my ground as much as possible.
Stages and Phases of Negotiation
I will start preparing for the negotiations through researching the legal issue that either I or Granite Capital agency could have committed. I will gather information on the points that I will be giving out during my negotiation. Information gathering procedure includes recording all the calls that I have been making to Granites Capital's offices, requesting for repair and services that we had agreed upon when I settled in their apartment. I will also gather information by going through the rule of laws that govern and protect tenants. This information that I have collected is supposed to be applicable in the negotiation session. I will apply this information and articulate my points in the order in which I had earlier explained in the strategies implementation phase. All the gathered information will be implemented by the law so that I don't find a contradiction in my issues of concern.
I will now offer my price of negotiation, which is either of the two demands. The first demand is that I wish to stay without paying rent for two months so that the first month will be free due to the expenses that I have incurred in buying water on a daily basis. I spent a lot of money on medication due to the fact that I have had pneumonia because of a broken window which has resulted in my sleeping in the cold for several months. In the second month, I will be staying in the apartment without paying rent so that I can use my down payment before I leave since I don't trust Granite Capital to refund the down payment. The second demand is that if at all am not allowed to stay without paying, then Granite Capital agents are to pay for my medication. So they are to refund me any amount that I used to buy water for the past four months. After paying for drugs, they are to return my down payment without subtracting any cost on damages since they had promised to repair the house a week after I moved in yet were not able to honor their promise.
In case Granite Capital manager opposes my demands, I will have to employ the following strategies. First, I will be making multiple offers simultaneously concerning my demands. Secondly, I will include a matching right in my negotiation. Thirdly, I will use a contingent agreement by the promise that in case my requirements are met, I am willing to remain as a tenant or move out of the premises without delay. I will agree to close the deal if at all they agree that they have done me wrong and they are willing to give any of my demands to the best of their ability.
The implementation of our agreement is to be done through signing documentations with statements that can be admissible in court in case of any differences that might come out in the future. The process of implementing the agreement will have a series of preparation that is to be carried out. There will be an internal preparation where we will both have to agree on the terms of honoring the agreement. We will have to agree on how to create good agreement statements and on whose presence are we to sign the agreement. Then there will be an external preparation where specifically a lawyer is needed to witness the sealing of our differences.
Information exchange shall be based on what Granite Capitals needs and how my needs are to be satisfied. There will be an efficient way of sharing information as stated earlier; I will apply a strategy that will make my demand precise and understandable. I will have to ask many questions as compared to my opponents so that I put them on defense all the time as I plan on the next move to make that will lead to their downfall. I will make them speak a lot by questioning frequently, making them disclose their intentions on how they expect to win in this negotiation. I will apply a tactic of active listening and will smile while using statements that they have already made to keep them talking. Silence and patience will be my best way of communicating since talking a lot will, in the result, make me contradict myself.
Once they give their first offer, I will have to figure out if that meets my demands. If it doesn't meet, then I will have to counter the offer with other requirements. I will work as much as possible to hold the bargain on my end because they have violated our agreement for quite some time. I will agree after they have given an offer that will have satisfied not only my financial expenditure but also provided a satisfactory reason as to why they had violated our trust to start with.
We will finally come up with a resolution. I will apply the following tactics to resolve. The first strategy is to avoid using provocative statements that might lead to emotional responses. I will also avoid unnecessarily interrupting my opponents to avoid making them emotional. Secondly, I will strictly apply value-creating strategies by treating the disputes separately from the deal that we are supposed to make at the end of the negotiation. I will trade my values through working on their arguments and elaborating on how they have violated our agreement and deserted my trust. The third strategy will be using the time to my advantage. I will use all the time and convince my opponents that my demands are to be met by being constant in flux. I will remain consistent in my negotiation to the point my opponents recognize my requirements resulting in their working towards meeting my needs to end the talk.
Conclusion
In conclusion, negotiations are carried out whenever two or more people are holding a dialogue that is intended to reach a beneficial outcome. In most cases, the beneficial result is aimed at meeting the needs of both parties, though there are situations where one party wins. Through negotiations, points of differences are resolved, and as a result, an advantage is gained by either an individual or both sides involved in the negotiation. To have a negotiation, a position is put forward then followed by small concessions that are aimed at achieving an agreement. The primary factor that determines a successful outcome of a negotiation is the degree in which the bargaining parties trust each other. I will be carrying out a negotiation on rent payment using the strategies and tactics that are discussed above.
Work Cited
Miles, Edward W. "Developing Strategies For Asking Questions In Negotiation." Negotiation Journal, vol 29, no. 4, 2013, pp. 383-412. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/nejo.12034.
Smead, Richard G. "Negotiated/Recourse Rate Alternative-A Reasonable Step Forward." Natural Gas, vol 12, no. 12, 2007, pp. 22-24. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1002/gas.3410121206.
