Good negotiation is how you can obtain an equitable result, either as a buyer or seller. Nobody is born with negotiation skills. However, there are tested ways of being a successful negotiator. Extensive analysis indicates that in both virtual and face-to-face bargaining, these negotiating strategies almost always work.

Bargaining is now a forgotten art. In reality, if we’re shocked by the price, instead of pointing it out, we try to cover it in order to save face. Negotiations have been a central part of life, for much of human history. For food, transportation, almost everything, you need to negotiate in one way or another. Period.

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There’s the fun kind of haggling, like getting a great vintage piece at a flea market for less than the price on the tag. Then there’s the stressful kind of negotiating, like going back and forth with car salespeople over how much you’ll need to hand over to drive away with a new set of wheels.

You can probably guess which end of the spectrum negotiating with creditors tends to fall on — it’s a task many people put off, or even don’t realize is a viable option for trying to reduce debt.

Not only do you have a higher likelihood of getting the results you want if you go in with a plan, you’ll also feel less daunted during the process. Before you pick up the phone and dial your creditors, remember these four things.

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When you sense a conflict brewing in the business situation what do you do? Do you put your head down and focus on your own work to stay out of it? Do you play peacekeeper and attempt to help everyone just get along? Or do you add fuel to the fire?

According to the leading theories of conflict, there are five major “conflict styles,” or approaches we take to handling disagreements. Everyone uses one of these styles at one point or another, but most of us tend to stick to one or two styles in most situations. The style you are most comfortable with and use majority of time can have a big impact on the outcome. It can help you arrive at a solution to your advantage or make you suffer with unfavorable outcome. It is crucial to understand what style you are most comfortable with and develop alternate styles so you can respond appropriately in a given situation.

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