Que faites-vous si la négociation des délais avec les clients ou les parties prenantes devient difficile ?

Great listening skills are a must in client- or customer- facing roles. Those you serve want solutions to their problems, and you cannot deliver unless you have a clear understanding of their needs and desires. Practicing active listening (engaging fully, asking probing questions, paying attention to non-verbal cues, and summarizing and restating what the other person communicates) when negotiating with clients and customers is a no-brainer. Consistently employing this skill will help you to assist your others in reaching their goals without the inefficiency, mistakes, and confusion that accompanies poorly communicated and misunderstood needs and objectives.

Your customer has a budget that is less than they want, a tighter deadline than they feel comfortable with, and a corporate leadership that is asking for more with less. So as an HSE professional, you need to go into your discussions with this understanding. Then listen to what they want from you - Do they need ideas? Do they need a specific problem solved? Do they need resources? Do they need to be saved?

If the need is to satisfy a regulatory request or permit condition - Look for efficiencies, find pricing alternatives, be creative. You might not be the expert on the exact need, so consider that your client might actually have other ideas and you can build on those. There are even circumstances where you can convince a regulator to change a condition/deadline/requirement. Don't be afraid to ask. And then exceed their expectations.

One action that is often effective is to use the "principle of reciprocity" to get the customer to accept the deadline. For example, you can offer a deadline that better suits your reality in exchange for some adjustment or action that gives the customer feedback. It's important to keep in mind the needs and concerns of the other parties in the negotiation. This makes it easier to identify solutions and reach an agreement that benefits everyone. Negotiation is often not an easy task. And a lack of communication between the parties involved can be a major problem. It's important to provide all the relevant information clearly and objectively to avoid problems and fights.

O cumprimento de palavras é uma qualidade moral, mas nem todos a têm. Sendo assim, procure documentar o que for acordado. Ata das reuniões deve conter todos os acordos alcançados por meio de ligações ou conversas telefônicas. As pessoas que hoje são "amigas" amanhã podem mudar de lado e dar uma rasteira, portanto, seja sempre franca.