Parlay Your Physician Skills into a Successful Negotiation

Many of the tools are already there for physician leaders, only applied to a business environment. We offer some examples.

While helping a fellow physician prepare for an upcoming negotiation , she was surprised when I told her, “You already have many of the necessary skills for a successful negotiation. You simply need to use some of your clinical skills in a different environment.”

Here’s what I meant:

Focus on the Other Side’s Needs

As physicians, we’re taught to always consider what is best for our patients. It’s imperative that we make recommendations that benefit the patient, not ourselves. However, when we negotiate, we tend to focus on our needs. This projects an image of selfishness, that we really don’t care about the other party.

What if we changed our point of view? Look at the negotiation as a way to discover what the other side needs. What problems does it have that we can solve? What if we walked into a negotiation thinking we didn’t have all the answers? How might the negotiation proceed? We might discover what the other side really needs and how we can help solve its problems. As you prepare for your next negotiation, consider whose needs you are focusing on.

Ask Really Good Questions

In medical school, we learned two fundamental skills to making a diagnosis: the physical exam and asking questions . The exam is only one way we gather information. The other method is by letting patients talk and encouraging them to expound upon their answers. We don’t just ask, “Do you hurt?” We ask where it hurts, when it hurts and what type of pain it is. We ask these types of questions because they get patients to talk about their problems. The more the patient talks, the more we learn.

RELATED: How to Have a Friendly (But Firm) Negotiation Process

With negotiations, the same principle applies. The more information you have about the other side’s problems, the better the chance you’ll be able to solve them. In your next negotiation, avoid using verb-led questions. Do you want this service? Will this work for you?.

Instead, use the same types of questions we use with patients — interrogative questions that lead with who, what, when, where and how. You’ll get more information about the other side and its problems. What types of problems are you having? How would this work for you? Where do you think this would work the best? Who else should be involved in this decision?

Asking the right type of questions will elicit valuable information you really need in your negotiations.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

During medical school, we studied hard. I can remember staying up late reading for the surgery cases for the next day. As a resident, I prepared for each case by studying and asking questions. Why? Because I wanted to maximize my learning and avoid being the one “bleeding” in the water surrounded by “shark” attendings. As the popular saying goes, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

RELATED: Four Steps Toward a More Constructive Approach to Negotiations

With physician clients, I see a lack of preparation for their negotiations. Some think they know everything, from what the other side wants and needs to how the negotiation will proceed. Because of this mindset, they walk into a negotiation without proper preparation and things don’t go according to their expectations. Once this happens, feelings of fear begin to bubble to the surface and the negotiation takes a sharp dive.

The next time you’re faced with a negotiation, take time to prepare. Really think about the problems the other side is facing. Craft good interrogative questions that will get the other side talking about its problems. Research the problems you know or think it is facing. Time spent preparing will pay big dividends.

Know What You Want

This point should come out of your preparations, but I am amazed when I ask others what they want out of a negotiation. Sometimes they know exactly. More often, they might have a vague idea. If you don’t know what you want, someone else might decide what you get. When this happens, many times it isn’t really what you want at all.

RELATED: The Higher You Go: A Physician Leader Shares Lessons Learned

When we treat patients, we don’t usually simply hope for an outcome. Instead, we have very specific goals in mind. We know what we want to happen. As you prepare for your next negotiation, know what you want to achieve.

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Before you sit at the table for your next round of negotiations, do these things:

• Ask yourself whether you’re focused on the other side’s needs or your own.

• Spend time and energy preparing.

• Craft open-ended interrogative questions so you can discover the negotiator’s needs.

• Have it clear in your mind what you want to result from the negotiation.

If you do these things, I know you’ll see big improvements in the success of your negotiation efforts.

David Norris, MD, MBA, CPE, an anesthesiologist in Wichita, Kansas, is also a partner with the Center for Professional Business Development. This article was originally published by the American Association for Physician Leadership in December 2016.