Negotiation

A collection of 52 posts

Negotiation

Why Do Women Earn Less?

According to a new report by the American Association of University Women, men still earn more money than women. The question: how much of this gap can be chalked up to different major and career choices of men and women, and how much can be attributed to gender discrimination, subconscious

Negotiation

Difficult Conversations

Is there a difficult conversation you’ve been putting off?  Managing our emotions during difficult conversations is challenging, but possible.  With preparation, practice, and an open mind, having difficult conversations can be a little easier.  Here are some tips for your next difficult conversation: Prepare. * Practice having the conversation with

Negotiation

Negotiation and the Gender Divide

Though there are many exceptions to the rule, most women don’t like to negotiate.  According to Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, authors of “Women Don’t Ask”, women are more likely to equate negotiation with “going to the dentist.”  By contrast, many men speak of the act of negotiation

Choices

The Power of Disagreement

Usually when two people think alike, it's because one of them is not thinking.  Let me submit that agreeing with anyone for a prolonged length of time won’t make the world a better place. Rather, disagreement is powerful and it is how we make the world better.

Negotiation

Balanced Agreements Are Better Agreements

While everyone wants more or better, the key to getting what you want in a negotiation is to make sure the other party is also getting what they want. That means that you need to understand the true motivation of the other party. Understanding the other party’s true motivation

Negotiation

Fear Can Disable a Negotiation

If the other party in a negotiation is fearful, you might have an advantage over them, but the likely outcome is a lopsided deal. You might get what you want, but you will never do business with that person or firm again. Overly aggressive negotiators prey on this type of

Negotiation

Anchoring in a Negotiation

It is legend that he or she who speaks first in a negotiation loses. Sometimes that is true but not always. This first offer is called the "anchor." The first offer is often price, but can be terms, quality, etc. A common response might be to offer a

Negotiation

Negotiating Is Easy?

Negotiating is easy. The key to successful negotiation is to not think of your own wants and desires. Instead, give them your full attention. The biggest mistake that people make is to focus on their own interests and position/s  instead of trying to understand the interests or motivations of

Negotiation

Selling With Questions

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” James Thurber (1894 – 1961) Author and Cartoonist A friend of mine reminded me that selling is not about what you say to the customer, but rather it is about the questions you ask. Many salespeople are

Negotiation

Don’t Talk About the Weather.

A recent study by a psychologist at the University of Arizona found that people who spend more of their day having deep, heart felt discussions and who spend less time engaging in small talk seem to be happier. Or, simply put, the folks who choose idle banter over in-depth conversations

Negotiation

When Is a Customer Too Big?

Talk about a high-class problem. You have delivered a specialized solution in a niche market while doing all the right things. What happens? You land an elephant for a customer who has an insatiable appetite for your product or service. By comparison, your other customers look like mice. You hate

Negotiation

Unscrupulous Negotiators Are Bullies

Unscrupulous negotiators will try almost anything to win in a negotiation including lying, throwing tantrums, and verbally abusing the other party. Why is winning so important to them? It has long been thought that mean people such as this are just cold, detached, and unemotional---we have thought that they did

Ethics

Just Say No to Unethical Negotiators

As many of you know, I am writing a book on negotiation which leverages my work as a trainer and lecturer in negotiation, along with my personal experiences in negotiation. It is a fascinating subject which seems easy on the surface, but is very difficult to practice. The other day

Negotiation

Selling to C-Level Executives

My recent blogs about using questions as a selling tool got many comments from readers who sell to senior executives. I was reminded about how busy C-level execs are these days and how intolerant they are of "discovery" sales calls. C-level executives (i.e., CEO, CMO, CIO, etc.

Negotiation

Questions to Ask Before a Negotiation

Good negotiators are prepared. It first begins with knowing what you want. Additionally, good negotiators anticipate the wants and needs of the other party. You need to ask yourself a few basic questions: 1. What do you wish for? 2. What do you deserve? 3. What must you have? 4.

Customer Service

Stay Cool When Customers Heat Things Up

Customer service reps need to maintain their cool even when customers push all their buttons. Keeping cool is a matter of keeping your self control while helping customers get through their rants. Here are a few ideas on how to maintain your composure when the heat is on. Be sure

Negotiation

Aggressive Negotiators Are Bullies

Bullies on the playground---you thought that you had left them behind in grade school along with bloody noses, homework, and the mean school principal. Yet, the same bully behavior can appear when you are confronted with an aggressive negotiator. A bully is someone who is mean and attacks other people

Negotiation

Seven Habits of Superior Negotiators

Superior negotiators come in all genders, shapes, and sizes, but they tend to have a few things in common. Here is my list of the seven habits of superior negotiators: 1. A superior negotiator is always prepared. Abraham Lincoln said, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree,

Negotiation

Negotiating With a Cry Baby

When negotiating you will periodically encounter the “cry baby”, which is a negotiator who has learned that if they cry loud enough and long enough, he or she might get what they want. This behavior resembles a two year old screaming until you pick them up to shut them up.

Negotiation

When the Other Party Fears Negotiation

The flip-side of you dealing with your own fear of negotiation is dealing with the fear of the other party. Their fear and anxiety can be absolutely palpable. You can see if in their eyes. You can almost smell it. If the other party is afraid and not thinking properly,

Negotiation

"Fear Is Here to Stay"

So sang rock musician Elvis Costello. And nothing creates fear like the prospect of a negotiation. People are fearful about negotiation for many reasons. They fear negotiation because of a lack of control, they fear losing, or maybe they fear that they will be outwitted and embarrassed by an aggressive

Negotiation

Negotiate Better: Focus on Interests and Positions

Negotiating seems easy, but actually doing it can be hard. The biggest mistake that people make is to focus on their own position instead of trying to understand the interests or motivations of the other parties. As simple as it sounds, you need to focus on the other party and

Negotiation

When Conflict Gets in the Way of a Negotiation

From time to time negotiators are confronted with a negotiation that is deeply rooted in conflict. The cause of the conflict could be from old wounds from a battle long ago, it could be a struggle for power, or it could be a bias or prejudgment by one or more

Negotiation

Escalation: There is Never Enough

Escalation is a dirty trick played when one party has leverage or when there is still money on the table. Essentially, escalation is when a deal is almost done and one of the parties reopens the negotiation with a demand for one more concession.

Negotiation

Put It in Writing

If you put your proposal or ideas in writing, people will find them to be more believable. A proposal or idea, when presented in a written document, demonstrates to the other party that you have carefully weighed the options and have come to a decision.