Anchoring and framing for mutual benefit

- Anchoring and framing are two beautiful skills you have to master to be an effective negotiator, and I have great news for you. You've been anchoring and framing all your life. I'm just going to turn the light on so you can see what you've been doing. Anchoring is landing your idea or request. You anchor with numbers, say when you ask for a 20% raise. And you anchor with ideas or proposals, say when you ask permission to work remotely. Framing is building a perspective.

It's how you package or backup your request. Now going back to the remote work example, let's put the two together. You might say this: "Now that I've been given responsibility "for managing three new projects, "I'm really concerned about meeting deliverables on time. "What I'd like to propose is working remotely on Fridays "so I can dot all the I's "and cross all the T's without interruption. "How can you help me work that out?" So let's break it down.

The anchor was the request to work remotely, and the frame was the concern for meeting deliverables on time. If you were making this request, what I want you to notice is how the framing is not just about why remote work is good for you, but how it will benefit your team or company. What's in it for them? So when you tie your request to quantifiable business case reasons like efficiency and productivity or money saved and money earned, you increase your chances of getting to yes.

After you anchor and frame, you want to finish with a diagnostic open-ended question so you can jump-start conversation and brainstorming. How can you help me work that out is a crafty little question. It assumes that your conversation partner wants to help you work it out, and that all there is to do is to figure out the how. Now here's one final point about anchoring. Resist the temptation to negotiate against yourself by saying things like, "I know it's a lot to ask, but," or "Remote work would be great, but I'd be happy "with just an occasional day here and there." To help you build your skill in anchoring and framing, check out the examples I've provided in the exercise files.

You can use it as a template and adapt it with the specifics of your request. So, be definite. Anchor and frame with confidence and let your request land. Doing this demonstrates your leadership and helps you find your way to a better deal.