One of my negotiating mentors told me that most negotiations are over even before they start. When I asked her what she meant, she explained that the side that prepares the best for a negotiation is the one that will probably walk away with the best deal. I've taken her advice to heart, and I always try to be the best prepared negotiator in the room.

What you'll find inside:

• Five keys to sales negotiation success
• Do you really have to have a target when you start a sales negotiation
• Four ways to win a sales negotiation before you even start
• Power questions that every sales negotiator must ask

Getting ready for a negotiation involves many different things. One of the most fundamental is deciding if you want to go this one alone or if you want to take a team with you. If you decide to use a team, you're going to have to know how to maximize the value that they can bring to the table.

The need to negotiate with the other side always has to be evaluated. Often, if we've worked with someone as a partner for a while, we may be hesitant to enter into a formal negotiation with them - but do it! If you do have a long-term relationship with the other side, then you always need to be evaluating who benefits from that relationship.

In order to be successful for your next negotiation, you are going to have to prepare for it. What this means is that you need to understand the steps that are involved and you need to perform them. Remember, you can win this thing before it even starts.

No negotiation is a fixed thing. Instead, negotiators always have to be prepared to deal with change. In order to determine what is changing, we need to know how to ask the other side important power questions. We never want to find ourselves alone, so we need to make sure that we know how to work well with everyone who is involved in the negotiation.