By Ellie Coverdale

You don’t need to be aggressive to be good at business negotiations. In fact, you can be even better if you use smart techniques for negotiation. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you negotiate anything you want.

Don’t be afraid

Being a bit nervous before you start a negotiation is fine, most people are because this is not a regular thing in your life and it involves going against people in higher positions than you. But, as the negotiation is about to start, embrace your confidence and relax. You know what you want and you know that you deserve to get it.

When you start a negotiation, the important thing you need to do is to feel confident in your ideas and what you want. Breathe calmly and use your body language to show that you are not willing to back down and compromise.

Come prepared

The best thing you can do is to come prepared to a negotiation meeting. Study all of the facts and details surrounding the discussion at question. It’s important that they don’t catch you being unfamiliar with something because they will hold that against you.

But if you come at them with numbers, facts and informed conclusions, you will have an easier time convincing them that something is a good idea – whether it’s changing something in the company or giving you a raise.

“Research, study and if required, prepare materials and presentations that can help you prove your point. Nothing speaks confidence more than an informed argument,” says Rhea Fisher, a communication manager at Australianhelp.com and Stateofwriting.com.

What’s in it for them

One of the best strategies for negotiation is to show them what they can get out of your idea. People are always looking for benefits for themselves so you need to show them that there are, in fact, some benefits for them.

For example, if you have an amazing idea about how something can be changed in the company, you should present your idea, tell them why you think it’s better than the current solution and then tell them how your idea will benefit them.

You can go the same route when you want to get a raise. Tell them how a raise for you means more productivity and involvement which will benefit the company. Show them what you’ve done in the past and why you think that you should get a raise. For instance, you can tell them how a raise means that you will be able to take more responsibilities.

“People are actually very simple, and if you give them a good representation of what they get out of it, you will win,” says Selena Fox, a business blogger at Academized.com and Paperfellows.com.

Negotiate for the community

If you are introducing a new idea to the team, you can also reframe your negotiation to show that you are negotiating for a community. For example, if you have an idea as a team member or a team leader, you can present it for your team.

This is a good idea because then you have a whole community supporting you. Your ideas immediately become stronger because of the “we” approach. A change would not only benefit you but an entire team.

You can use this for your pay raise as well. Ask for increased pays for your team because you have done a great job for the company in the previous quarter or previous year. This, again, makes your argument a lot stronger and more impactful.

Introduce multiple solutions

Another great strategy is to introduce several possibilities to the people you are negotiating with. For instance, if you want a pay raise, you can offer several deals that can make you satisfied. Those options could be hiring an assistant for you, giving you more paid time off or giving you a salary increase.

All of these options have monetary value for the company and the people you are negotiating with will hardly be able to say no to all of them as that would make them appear inflexible and unappreciative of your hard work.

They will have to pick one that holds the most benefits for them. The options you offer them should hold a lot of value for you. The trick is to offer options which are all the things you find acceptable.

You can do the same when you have a new idea – offer some equally satisfying solutions for you and one of them will become a reality.

Of course, this method is not foolproof but it does give you more chances at winning, especially so if you have sound reasons why you should win.

Ellie Coverdale is a marketing and career blogger for Essayroo.com and UKWritings.com. She works on marketing and app development research to share with her audience, and likes finding new ways for app creators to reach their goals. She also teaches key writing skills for BoomEssays.com in her spare time.