The Nature of Real Estate Negotiation
"So much of life is a negotiation - even if you're not in business, you have opportunities to practice all around you." - Kevin O'Leary
The Real Estate Negotiation Institute (RENI) is the first and leading negotiation training company in real estate in North America. Their flagship course is the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE®) designation program. It is a culmination of knowledge and expertise from world renowned schools like Harvard and Oxford University in England.
The Canadian RENI operation is spearheaded by Suze Cumming—director, facilitator, and founder of The Nature of Real Estate—with over three decades of experience in the real estate industry. Fascinated by human nature, she conveys that syncing with the nature of things is essential for high levels of success in all parts of our lives. I had the pleasure of attending one of her classes for my CNE® designation, remotely held on Zoom.
What we learned during the course is far beyond what is taught in traditional licensing courses. As is often the case when one typically studies a subject by the book, then gets out into the real world where things happen much differently. Negotiation is the subtle process of communication—being able to empathize to a greater degree what someone is thinking and feeling.
Great negotiators are experts at influencing others to share information. What can or can't be shared is nuanced, and dictated by the strength of your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). The power in negotiation comes from the people, and not the property or price. Taking a collaborative approach instead of a competitive one. As the former FBI hostage negotiator, and the CEO of The Black Swan Group Ltd., Chris Voss would say:
It's about the other party convincing themselves that the solution you want is their own idea. So don’t beat them with logic or brute force. Ask them questions that open paths to your goals. It’s not about you. – Chris Voss