French negotiation typically involves investment in relationship before intensive focus on terms. Take time for meals, conversation, and personal connection.
This is not mere social nicety but strategic preparation that creates context shaping negotiation dynamics. Through relationship development, you learn about the other party’s situation and constraints. You build personal connection that may enable flexibility when negotiation reaches difficult points. You establish trust that allows more candid exchange.
The negotiator who skips relationship development and proceeds directly to terms may find the other party less forthcoming and less flexible. This does not mean every negotiation requires extensive socialization—context matters—but the default assumption in French professional contexts is that relationship matters and investment in it pays returns.
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