A very common and very effective negotiating tactic is called “Good Cop/Bad Cop”. This tactic involves two or more negotiators who work as a team. The good cop seems sympathetic to your interests and tends to be a good listener; additionally, the good cop tends to provide information and often tries to explain the position and interests of his or her team. The good cop seems to value the relationship with you and wants to preserve the relationship for the future.
A recent study by Transparency International, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending global corruption, surveyed 11,000 business executives. The survey studied the business ethics of the world’s top 30 exporting countries. The end result of the study as a stacked ranking of the nations most likely to offer bribes.
One of the most powerful tools in a negotiator’s toolbox is silence: absolute, blank-faced, quiet. It can be used when confronted with a tough situation, when given news that is too good to be true, or when you just don’t want to say anything stupid.
It can be lonely out there, but don’t let it be. Instead, pick up the phone, go to lunch with someone, or join a networking group. With all these options, loneliness is a choice, not a plight. Networking can be the key to successful career; it can also make it fun along the way.
Not all negotiations end with a happy agreement. Sometimes the gap is too great for the two parties to meet without one of the parties making a very significant sacrifice.
A very cool negotiating technique that is easy and has proven to be very successful is what I call “one more thing”. Let’s say that you have been negotiating an agreement, have made a few concessions, and are ready to finalize the agreement. In the back of your mind is a lingering doubt that maybe…
Although every organization is different, hiring a sales manager is not as simple as it looks. In fact, the wrong sales manager can quickly damage morale, if not scare away the sales reps and potentially injure the firm.
Entrepreneurs need to avoid making the following marketing mistakes:
As a “solopreneur” who writes, speaks, coaches, and consults on the subjects of marketing and negotiation, I find myself spending more and more time working on my website since it is my main channel of distribution. My website and this blog help me build my brand with people who don’t me personally. Generally, my website (or my blog) is the first point of contact with my target customer. The challenge on the internet or in the blogoshere is how to be found.
A common mistake is to go into a negotiation thinking that there is only one acceptable outcome: what you want. One of the best things you can do to prepare for a negotiation is to think about all the possible options that may exist for you and the other side.