As you get involved in value-added agricultural projects you will need to sharpen your negotiation skills.  Many of the contracts and agreements you make with other parties will require serious negotiation.  And the results of these negotiations will affect the viability of your business.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

Understanding Negotiation

• The Emerging Art of Negotiation - HBS Working Knowledge -- A negotiation is rarely open-and-shut, but research is starting to reveal a number of ways that this complicated and often-volatile process might go a lot better for all concerned.
  
• Negotiation Tips for Startups – Entrepreneur.com – Follow these suggestions for negotiating with employees, investors and suppliers when your business has no revenue.

Negotiation Skills

• Successful Negotiating Skills – Kansas State University Extension -- Deals with the resolution of public disputes for local government.
• Keeping Your Cool in Negotiations – HBS Working Knowledge – Tips for deflecting the other side’s power grab.
• Negotiation Strategies – Oklahoma State University – Like it or not, you are a negotiator.  So improving your negotiation skills can help you achieve your business goals.
  
• Building Bridges: New Dimensions in Negotiation - HBS Working Knowledge -- How does a master negotiator negotiate?  Through what "three-dimensional negotiation:" persuasion at the bargaining table; delving into the deeper interests that underlie the parties' positions; and a studied determination of whether to take the deal on the table or to walk away.
• Breakthrough Negotiations: Don't Leave it on the Table – HBS Working Knowledge -- Businesses are constantly involved in negotiations but rarely develop these skills in their leaders. Learn the secrets of powerful negotiators.
• Negotiations and Resolving Conflict, An Overview – College of Business Administration, Northeastern University – A guide for leaning negotiation skills.
• Six Ways to Build Trust in Negotiations – HBS Working Knowledge -- All negotiations involve risk. That’s why establishing trust at the bargaining table is crucial.
• Making the Most of Multi-Party Negotiations – HBS Working Knowledge -- As soon as you sit down with more than two people, chances are that coalitions will form.  Here's how to get the best from yours.
• The Ingredients of a Deal Disaster – HBS Working Knowledge -- A deal can unravel quickly if it doesn’t embody the mutual understanding - the social contract - behind the words on paper.
• Is That Really Your Best Offer? – HBS Working Knowledge -- Six "tells" of the bargaining table.
• Striking a Deal with a Difficult Negotiator - HBS Working Knowledge -- How do you make someone be reasonable?   How to deal with the most difficult breed: the apparently irrational negotiation partner.
• The Negotiator's Secret: More than Merely Effectiveness - HBS Working Knowledge -- What turns merely effective negotiators into all-out expert negotiators?  The ability to overcome six common mistakes.  Here is one of the most glaring.
• Use Deadline for Powerful Negotiations - HBS Working Knowledge -- you can use deadlines to your strategic advantage in negotiations - but so can your opponent.  Here's how to make the most of time pressure.
• When to Make the First Offer in Negotiations - HBS Working Knowledge -- Common wisdon in negotiations says it's better to wait for your opponent to make the first offer.  In fact, you may win by making the first offer yourself.
• A Better Way to Negotiate - Backward - HBS Working Knowledge -- When you map a negotiation backward, you envision your preferred outcome and think in reverse about how to get there.
• Becoming an Ethical Negotiator - HBS Working Knowledge -- Think you negotiate fairly?

International Negotiations

• How "Ugly Americans" can Play by Local Rules - HBS Working Knowledge -- Why does the negotiation style that serves you well in one country backfire in another?  Here are tips for tailoring your business style for maximum effect when working abroad.
• How to Negotiate "Yes" Around Cultural Boundaries - HBS Working Knowledge -- Myriad factors can make or break a deal.  The "web of influence" in many countries is more important than meets the eye.
• Negotiating in China - HBS Working Knowledge -- When U.S. and Chinese businesspeople sit at the negotiation table, frustration is often the result.  This article summarizes the historical and cultural disconnects.
• Tips for Avoiding Misunderstandings When Negotiating Cross-Border Deals - HBS Working Knowledge -- Negotiation is a delicate business, made even more delicate by different cultural understandings.  How can you avoid the subtle pitfalls and make deals go smoothly.

Women and Negotiation

• Negotiation Challenges for Women Leaders - HBS Working Knowledge -- When negotiating compensation, women often sell themselves short.  Some practical advice on claiming the power to lead.
• Women Negotiating in the New Millenium - HBS Working Knowledge -- What are the skills that women bring to the table when negotiating in business?  Do they negotiate better or worse or just differently than men?  Or is there no difference at all?