Every negotiation process is a learning process. Once you understand this, you'll realize that good negotiators sincerely listen to what the other person has to say and propose. They know that it is with that other person that they must reach an agreement and, above all, implement it.

There are several common mistakes people make in negotiations. Below are some of them and our recommendations.

First mistake: Not preparing before the negotiation

This is the most common mistake we see in our country and Latin America. The misunderstanding of negotiation as a strategic process that requires extensive preparation. It requires rigor and strategic depth. We have often taken months of preparation before presenting a proposal to the table. Prepare methodologically before negotiating.

Second mistake: Seeing the negotiation in only one dimension, the table

Believing that negotiation is an exchange of gestures and words said or done at the negotiating table. Modern negotiation requires a three-dimensional strategy:

– Before presenting proposals, a strategy for “setting the table” should be developed. Ideally, well in advance and completely away from the table.

– Deal design and preparation. This is done both inside and outside the table, also establishing clear objectives.

– At the negotiating table. This is the negotiation process at the table, ranging from ontological and tactical aspects to multiple strategies for generating efficiency in the process, such as presenting multiple offers (MESO). Essentially, everything we do at the table.

These three dimensions interact and interweave continuously.

Third mistake: Focusing on claiming value, before creating it

It's one of the most common and costly mistakes of so-called "tough negotiators," who swear they're being successful in negotiation with these inefficient and unstrategic ways of acting.

“Tough negotiators” often implement ego wars, basing their proposals on Positions not paying attention to the InterestsThey seek to coerce rather than persuade and are focused on closing the deal at all costs (deal making mindset), without considering the challenges of implementing the agreement (deal implementation mindset).

Good negotiators focus on creating value across multiple tangible and intangible areas and then distributing that value based on strategic preparation prior to the start of the negotiation.

Below is a table developed by the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program at Harvard Law School and Cambridge International Consulting that will help readers develop a value-creation mindset in all their negotiations.

Value Creation Mindset Vs. Claiming Value Mindset.

It's pertinent to clarify, as John Nash, the 1994 Nobel Prize winner in Economics, demonstrated, that competition and cooperation are not opposites, but rather complementary. Both are essential for creating value in the business, social, and political worlds. The key is to use both wisely and intelligently.