Monday, June 30, 2008

Graceful Renegotiation

Writen by Jessica Hartung

At the beginning of the year, fresh ideas, projects, and plans inspire us. A less appealing, but critical task, is facing that which will be displaced by our new intentions. Dedicated professionals tend to add more and more to their plates each year with well-intentioned initiatives. At some point, it becomes apparent that we can't actually accomplish all we intended. Gracefully handling the difficult communications needed to adjust and clarify realistic expectations is an application of our deepest values in the workplace.

Renegotiation was an important issue for me in 2005 and will certainly continue to be in 2006. After experiencing some health issues, I have struggled to accept myself as someone who does less. My work days are shorter and don't extend into evenings and weekends. I nap. And yet, I have also found that in many ways I am achieving more. By strategically selecting what I am willing to take on, outsourcing (personally and professionally) and entrusting others to do more, I have been able to make headway on many fronts even though I am personally spending less time working than ever before.

The first person I needed to renegotiate with in this process was myself. For many years I have pushed myself hard. The manic pace was no longer sustainable, yet was habitual. I associated the fast pace with "Who I am" and "How my life is". I had literally forgotten it could be any other way. At what point did I allow myself to acknowledge this? Not at the first sign, or the second, but when my body said, "No more." Gradually, I have cut back, and become more and more comfortable letting opportunities pass. I have begun to enjoy the additional spaciousness in my days.

Sometimes, we need to renegotiate our commitments to preserve our professional and personal integrity. Unexpected events, limits stretched too far, or demanding new projects prompt us to reconsider our commitments. Using creative approaches, it may be possible to complete what we originally intended. There are many excellent resources about being more organized, efficient, and productive, which I heartily recommend. However, there are instances when cramming more in is not the answer.

The very complex process of evaluating your priorities, capabilities, and commitments can take different forms. Whatever way you choose to approach the process, consider the following steps on your way to a renegotiated situation that leaves all parties whole and able to move forward. You may wish to select a situation you are unlikely, or unwilling, to complete as originally designed as you read through the following steps.

Identify the need. Some people are reluctant to realize when a change is needed. They continue to uphold awkward and painful agreements long after they could have renegotiated them. In this stage, it is important to come to terms with what is authentically working or not working for you. This is the time to jettison notions that what works for others should work for you. Instead, identify your true needs. You may want to ask yourself the following questions:

  • What about this situation is not working for me?
  • How important is it, really?
  • What aspects are working and need to be preserved?
  • What needs to change?
Connect to the broader context. What is the larger system in which this particular issue exists? Any one promise is usually nested within several layers or levels of commitments. You want to know the framework for your negotiation before you begin planning how you will work through the issue. There is a considerable choice about the level at which we can choose to renegotiate most situations. The players and issues may change dramatically as you move between layers.

Take time to reflect on your situation from an objective perspective. Try one or more of the following:

  • Take a step back from the situation by removing yourself physically. Take a walk, a shower, or go somewhere you can think clearly.
  • Narrate the situation as if you were describing the story line of a movie about someone else. What is the context for the issues? Try variations of the story to find one that is useful as a framework for understanding objectively what is happening in this situation.
  • Consider others you have known in similar situations. How is your context different? Compare and contrast to help illuminate your situation.
  • Ask a friend, trusted advisor or coach to help you see the different components of this situation as you talk though it.
Cultivate an Understanding of Other's Perspectives. A successful renegotiation leaves all parties respected and clear on the plans. To be effective in this role, it is very useful to understand what is important to other people -their goals, aspirations and worries - in relation to the situation so that you can connect with their purposes and respect them. List what you know about the others involved, and how you can preserve what is most important to them while changes are underway. Certainly, you may worry about disappointing others during this process, and embracing what is important to others can create guilt or uncomfortable feelings. Yet, you are much more likely to create a solution that everyone can appreciate when you account for others' needs up front.

Generate Options. Given what you know about this situation, create a range of options from which to choose. The first two that most likely occurred to you -- do what you agreed to do, or disappoint others -- are not the only, and probably not the best, options. Consider the following questions to help you generate a series of options best suited to the situation.

  • What would you normally do in a situation like this? What is the opposite of what you would normally do?
  • What have you always wanted to do, but never thought you could?
  • What are the safest options? What are the riskiest?
  • What gets everyone taken care of, including you?
  • What would a leader you admire consider doing in a situation like this?
  • If you were being true to yourself, what would you do?
Prepare yourself. Before entering into a renegotiation conversation, take time to prepare yourself. A successful renegotiation is best done when you are calm, rested, and clear about what is most important to you. Save emotional outpourings for another setting. Create the space you are comfortable functioning in by selecting the meeting time and location. Prepare notes on the options you will propose if you need them, and alternatives if your proposals are not accepted.

Knowing that you are prepared, you can allow yourself to be present in the moment and be attentive to what is happening during the renegotiation. This added awareness of the current interaction is a powerful ally in creating a real solution to the issue. To the extent possible, it is best to work with, rather than against those involved in the negotiation. . For this co-creation to occur, you need to be aware of what is happening real-time.

Propose. Before offering potential solutions, frame the situation as you understand it. Describe the larger picture, what you want to change, and what you see as important to others. Express what you want to do, or what you need others to do. Do not spend much time justifying what you need and want. Just ask for it. If questioned about your reasons, then explain more.

Agree on actions. What will happen as the result of your request? Track and confirm who will do what by when.

Appreciate. Recognize that you found a creative way to address a difficult situation and give thanks to those who accommodated your needs. Also take a little time to appreciate yourself for creating the circumstances that support what you really want and need in your life.

Personally, I have found that the process of renegotiation, although difficult while it is happening, provides me with greater clarity about my strengths and boundaries and also offers me the chance to wholeheartedly commit to the responsibilities I retain.

"If you can't say 'no,' your 'yeses' don't mean a thing." - Peter Block

Jessica G. Hartung is the founding principal of Integrated Work Strategies, LLC, a management and leadership development firm. Jessica's many years of professional experiences with a variety of organizations — government, non-profits, Fortune 500, small businesses, and entrepreneurial ventures — have provided strength and flexibility to her skills as a coach and facilitator. She is known for her straightforward and compelling style that moves individuals and teams to develop the skills necessary to meet and exceed their goals.

Jessica's areas of expertise include interpersonal communication, remotely managed teams, managerial development, group dynamics, teambuilding, behavioral change, and professional development planning. She is frequently called upon as a trusted advisor to senior leadership teams, and an outstanding keynote speaker for confernces and events.

Permission to reprint or reproduce is granted, provided that it includes this notice: "Copyright 2006 by Integrated Work Strategies" Visit http://www.integratedwork.com for more articles and resources.

How To Charge A Client

Writen by Lars Koudal

So you have started working as a freelancer, and you have gotten potential clients. Now you need to make a quote for the project. How much do you charge?

This is perhaps your first project, and you are afraid to offend the client if you over-charge.. Don't be. Here are some tips and considerations you can ponder before and after sending a quote.

Things to consider before sending the quote

How badly do you need the project?

Is this just a project to pay the bills, or is it a fun/interesting project to do? If so, consider this as a factor to lower the price if the client asks for it. (Which they most likely will).

Are you using subcontractors?

Can you undertake the entire project yourself, or do you need to use subcontractors for some areas? If you need to use subcontractors, you should make sure that you have gotten the lowest price possible from the subcontractors before sending the quote. You should also add some extra margin of profit to your quote, as you will most likely spend some hours communicating information between the client and the subcontractors.

Is the client a good name to have on your reference list?

This is something a client will say to get you to lower your quote, but it is also one of the few things that is actually worth considering. If it is a big corporation, having their name on your homepage or resume will Definitely be worth it. Maybe you will even get references from the client if they are happy with your work. Definitely something worth considering.

Is it a big company?

In that case they will most likely have a price policy, and if you have not been informed by your contact person, you should get in touch with the company and enquire if they have a fixed hour rate for freelancers. This will prevent them from using this as a part of the negotiating.

Things the client most likely will say

"Other contractors charge less."

Good reason, but the client wanted a quote from you for a reason. Your reply will of course be that your competitors are not as skilled/professional as you. The ball is now in their court. You can tell the client that the competitors try to dump the price because they want more clients, but they cannot give the level of attention and/or quality you can. The competitors most likely use the same amount of time as you, but your work is better.

"We will have lots of projects in the future, so can we get a lower price?"

This is one of the most common comments, the clients always believe they have a fleet of projects waiting, and if you get this project and do a proper job, you will get them all. This is usually not true. Either the client is lying, or the projects rarely become reality. You can offer the client that future work will of course be of a reduced salary, but you cannot lower your price for projects that might or might not become a reality.

"The price is much higher than I imagined"

This may or may not be true, but a classic answer that from the clients point-of-view is the beginning of a negotiation. Here you will have to take several things into consideration; Is the client new in the business for your kind of service? If this is true, then the client might be telling the truth, and you are close to loosing the client. If the client has hired people in your profession before, then it is most likely the only response they have to your quote, and you can begin negotiating.

"We only pay contractors xxx per hour"

This basically only applies to big corporations which will have a set price-policy for freelancers/subcontractors. You should have been informed of this in advance, if not, then you have a potential problem.

If your quote is set by a certain amount of hours, you can tell the client that the amount of hours is just set with your usual hourly rate, and the end price is a fixed price for the project. You can tell the client that if they are not willing to pay the amount you quote them for, that you can do the project by the hour rate they request, but the hours you set in your quote will rise to the actually amount of hours you spend on the project.

Things to consider before negotiating

How much do you want the project? Is it a fun project to do, or is it simply another job to earn some money to pay the bill?

Are you gonna undertake the project alone, or do you need subcontractors? If you need to use subcontractors, you will most likely not get a lower price from them that you all ready had (see the paragraph at the top). If you lower the price, you are only gonna lower the profit you are gonna make.

Is it a large corporation? In that case they will most likely have a price policy, enquire with your contact person in advance.

The client accepted the quote immediately!

Amazing, simply amazing. This rarely happens, and it makes you wonder if you should have set a higher price. Don't think like this. This is an indication that the client might be a good client, which knows the rules of the game, but is happy with you and your quote. Be happy, you saved some time, and you can begin working and anticipate the payment on time.

The client refused!

Don't worry, this happens, and it will happen again. Don't let it discourage you, as you gain experience, you will fine tune your quotes and your negotiating skills, but no matter how skilled and experienced you get, you will always encounter clients that cant afford your prices. Just move on, and attack the next project/client with the same energy, remembering what you've learned.

Lars Koudal is a new media freelancer with more than 10 years of experience working for big and small companies around the world.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Tips For Easier Hotel Contract Review When Planning A Meeting

Writen by Robin Roth

The next time a hotel contract lands on your desk, read it twice. First, read what is there and identify the terms that need to be rewritten, changed, or deleted. Then, read it for what is not there and needs to be added. The following checklist will help you determine what to look for and what is missing. (Note: This information is not intended to be "legal advice." Meeting planners and hotel managers should consult a qualified attorney to review all contract issues.)

CONTRACT SECTIONS

General Contract Issues

• Date of contract initiation.

• Accurate and complete legal names of both parties, addresses, and contact information as well as the name of the meeting. Be sure the contracting party is not listed as the name of the meeting; they are often not the same.

• Actual dates of the meeting, not the dates of the room block.

• Statement of whether the contract is a first or second option. A first option should specify the date by which the contract must be signed and returned to the hotel, after which date the option will expire and the contract may have to be renegotiated. A second option should include the above as well as the date by which the hotel must reply to you after receiving the signed contract (typically three business days) and notify you of its decision.

Sleeping Room Block

• Table format showing the year, days of the week, and dates of the room block.

• Specific breakdown by type(s) of rooms/suites and number(s) per night.

• Beware of language that locks you into payment for the entire contracted block.

Room Rates

• Year quoted. If rates are quoted for any year other than the current year, that year should be specified.

• Future rates. If rates are not definite yet, indicate the formula to be used and when final rates will be established (usually 12 months out). Use at least two factors in the formula, such as percentage off rack rate, maximum percentage increase per year, or the Consumer Price Index, and state that final rates will be the lesser of the two formulas.

• Breakdown of rates by type of room/suite, single/double, deluxe, and government rate. State the percentage blocked in each rate category.

• Applicable taxes (sales, occupancy), service charges, and gratuities.

• Applicable charges for extra person in room.

• Currency. If the contract was initiated in another country, the rates are usually quoted in that country's currency.

• Ensure that final rates are not subject to change.

Complimentary and Other Negotiated Concessions

• One complimentary room per 50 revenue-producing rooms actually utilized. Spell out how the comps are calculated (on a cumulative or per-night basis) and whether they can be credited to the master account.

• Additional concessions. Include specifics such as the duration of each concession, i.e., comp rooms are for five nights each.

• If concessions are based on 80 percent of the room pickup, specify what happens if the pickup is less than 80 percent. • State if a concession is complimentary.

Reservations

• Procedure. Is the group, hotel, or a third party handling housing? Will individuals call in, use reservation cards, be identified on a rooming list, or be serviced by a housing bureau? Will you use your own reservation form or the hotel's?

• Cutoff date. Identify the exact cutoff date — usually 30 days prior to the major arrival day. Indicate whether reservations received after the cutoff date will be honored at the group rate or a rate at the hotel's discretion.

• Confirmations. Specify if/when they are to be sent by the hotel.

• Check-in/check-out times.

• Dishonored reservations. Spell out what will happen if individuals with guaranteed reservations are turned away or "walked." Consider reimbursement of replacement accommodations or transportation to and from the new hotel.

Payment

• Rooms. Will individuals or the organization be responsible for payment?

• Deposits. For the group's master account, how much is due and when? For individuals, a credit card guarantee or one night's deposit is usually required.

• Early departure charge. Specify the amount (it should be less than one night's room rate) and that guests will be informed of this potential charge upon check-in.

• Master account. Typically, the credit application is due 90 days prior to arrival. Stipulate items that are to be included on the master account, as well as authorized signatories and payment terms.

Reports/Printouts to Request

• A per-night room pickup report.

• Individual cancellations and no-shows.

• Statistics for food and beverage revenue.

Function Space and Meeting Arrangements

• Agenda. Is it tentative or finalized? What are the due dates for the program? When will the hotel provide room names?

• Exact days, dates, setups, and functions.

• Specific room names or minimum square feet required; start/end times for 24-hour hold on space.

• Ancillary charges. Are there charges for meeting room rental and/or setup? Is there a fee for "extensive" meeting room setups and how is that defined? Is there a charge for using outside suppliers or contractors? If there is no charge for any of these services, be sure to state that.

• Release of space. What are the terms?

• Security guards. Hotel should "request," not "require," security guards.

• No changes to function space assignments or requirements should be allowed without written group consent.

Food and Beverage

• Menu prices. Firm prices should be established no later than six months out.

• Guarantees. Most guarantees should be given 48 or 72 hours prior to the function. Specify how weekends affect this deadline.

• Taxes and gratuities. State whether the service charge is taxable.

• Hotel's alcohol service policy, adherence to laws, and intoxication policy.

• Food and beverage cancellation or reduction/mitigation clause.

Exhibit Space

• Exact dates. Include beginning and ending times, setup and move-in, tear-down, and move-out.

• Costs. What is the rental fee? Does it include daily maintenance and vacuuming of the aisles? Be sure the charges are by net, not gross, square feet.

• Booths. List type, size, and number.

• Box delivery. What are the charges? When shipping boxes to the hotel prior to the meeting, where and by when should they be shipped?

• Security guards. Are they required?

• Release of space. What are the terms?

• Exhibitor responsibility clause. Make sure it absolves both the hotel and your organization of liability.

Room Block Control and Pickup

• Provisions for attrition and mitigation. (See "Analyzing Attrition Clauses" and "Making Sense of Mitigation" on pages 37 and 40, respectively.)

• Meeting room rental/facilities service fees. Does the rental fee apply per day for a certain number of days (if so, it should apply only to the major days) or is it all-inclusive? The rental scale should be based on sleeping room revenue.

• Include room block review dates and allowed adjustment/attrition.

• If there are no room block performance charges, that should be stated.

• Any nonrefundable individual cancellation or early departure fees that are collected should be applied to any group performance or cancellation charges due.

• Do not allow more than one room block performance charge.

Rights of Termination for Cause

• Force majeure for termination in the event of an emergency over which neither party has control (also known as an "impossibility") should be mutual and state that termination will be without a cancellation charge.

• Termination should be allowed for construction, change in management company or ownership, bankruptcy, conflicting booking/competitor, and unavailability of convention center or other facility.

• "Without liability" is often missing in these clauses.

Cancellation

• By the group. There should be a sliding scale of charges as well as mitigation.

• By the hotel. The group should be made whole for its losses.

• The same clause should not include both the hotel and the group; issues affecting the group and the hotel are too different to have the same charges owed.

• Cancellation clause. Be sure to include one for your group or total revenue could be owed.

• Watch out for cancellation clauses that seek to recoup all revenue that the hotel would have lost; damages owed should be in terms of lost room revenue only.

Americans with Disabilities Act

• Hotel should warrant its compliance.

• Specify the group's obligations.

• State mutual cooperation in identifying needs.

• Each party should indemnify the other for violations by the indemnifying party.

• Beware of vague language and one-sided obligation for the group.

Dispute Resolution

• What method will be used — arbitration, litigation, or other?

• Which side pays attorney fees?

• In the event the hotel sues the group for collection of funds the group owes, and the hotel wants to be reimbursed for its attorney fees, the hotel should be reimbursed only for attorney fees the hotel incurred to collect charges that the group does not dispute that it owes.

• Any dispute resolution should be at a neutral site.

Miscellaneous Issues that Occur During Meeting Planning

• Indemnification should be reciprocal and each party should be responsible for its own negligence.

• Insurance should be a mutual clause.

• The hotel should warrant the condition of the facility. It should be the same or better than at the time of the on-site visit or contract signing.

• The hotel should state its adherence to laws regarding fire, safety, and health codes.

• The hotel will usually ask that the laws of the state where the hotel is located will apply in the event of a dispute, as will venue and jurisdiction, but that may unnecessarily lock the group into traveling if there is litigation.

• The laws of which state govern the contract?

Closing Issues

• Can the contract be assigned to other parties?

• How are notices to be given?

• Itemize all attachments.

• Merger clause. State that this contract constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes previous agreements.

• Changes can be only in writing.

• Severability. Is the contract enforceable if any provision is ruled unenforceable?

• Is a faxed document valid? It should be if the original is received within 72 hours of the receipt of the fax.

• What is the authority of the signatories?

• Signature information — name, title, group name, and date.

Robin Roth is Senior Contracts Editor at Conferon Global Services, Inc. in La Quinta, California. Visit us at http://www.conferon.com for all your meeting planning needs.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Whats The Difference Between A Negotiation Arbitration And Mediation

Writen by Tristan Loo

Negotiation. Involves two or more parties who are engaged in direct discussions with each other in a concerted effort of reaching an agreement. Both parties use persuasion and influence to get the other party to see things their way.

Example:

 A buyer and a salesman are negotiating a price for a car.

 A wife is negotiating with her husband over use of finances.

 A president is negotiating with another country's leader to remove missile silos that threaten the security of the nation.

Arbitration. This is a form of resolving conflict that is handled outside of court where both parties come before a neutral third-party. The neutral third-party is usually a lawyer and the arbitrator listens to both sides and then passes judgment on a winner and a loser in much the same way as a judge does.

Example:

 Two employees are having issues with each other. They take these issues to the boss. The boss hears both sides and then decides to fire one of the employees.

 Two siblings are having a fight and the mother gets involved. The mother hears what they have to say, and of course both siblings are pointing fingers at the other side. The mother decides to ground them both.

Mediation. Similar to negotiation, but mediation involves the use of a neutral third-party who assists the negotiating parties in reaching an agreement. Mediation is used typically when direct negotiations have failed because the mediator can separate the people from the problem much easier than the stakeholders can.

Example

 A buyer purchases a used car from a seller. The car breaks down soon after. The buyer demands his money back. The seller accuses the buyer of damaging the car himself. Instead of dealing with the matter in court, which can be both costly and time-consuming for both parties, they instead agree to hire a mediator and work out their situation out of court.

 A couple decide to get a divorce, but argue over who gets what. Instead of waging legal war against each other, they decide to work out their agreement with a divorce mediator. The mediator uncovers what the needs and interests are for both the husband and wife as well as separating the emotions from the problems at hand.

 Two nations, on the verge of war after failed negotiations, agree to peace-talks. Neither side trusts the other side, so they ask for the help of a neutral representative to act as mediator for their talks. Through the mediator, both stake-holding countries are able to work out an agreement and avoid war.

© Copyright 2006 by Tristan Loo. All rights reserved.

For over 10 years, Tristan Loo has inspired, motivated, and brought success to the lives of the people he's touched. Successful in his own right, Tristan has competed athletically against Olympians as a world-class gymnast, saved lives as a police officer, authored numerous Personal Development and Interpersonal Communication books and articles, and is a highly sought-after Personal Development Coach. Tristan is the founder of the Synergy Institute, a San Diego based Personal Development Firm. His philosophy of passionate living and helping others fulfill their dreams has continually been the driving force that has placed him well above the industry standard. Visit Tristan's website at http://www.synergyinstituteonline.com or by email at info@synergyinstituteonline.com

Face To Face Negotiation

Writen by Kurt Mortensen

In our age of ever-expanding communication possibilities, researchers have been drawn to answer the question of which communication mode is most likely to lend itself to successful negotiation. Although the answer is undetermined, Face-to-face communication has been proven to have a greater possibility of alleviating miscommunication. When you're in person, you are more apt to pick up all the nuances of the exchange. That way, you will be better able to gauge what the other party is thinking and to determine the direction in which the negotiating is headed.

For the same reasons, it is also easier to create and maintain rapport. If there is already a fair amount of tension in the air, however, negotiating by phone can take the edge off, can provide breathing room and can minimize the effectiveness of any pressure tactics that may have been employed. E-mail's main advantage is that both parties have control over saying exactly what they want to say and how they want to say it. Since there is no ebb and flow to live conversation, the involved parties can keep the floor as long as they want. On the flip side, e-mailing can tend to make the negotiating parties less restrained and more impulsive in their communication. This rashness isn't always a bad thing, but it definitely can be if tensions exist. One study found that abrupt and unmannerly exchanges occurred 102 times when negotiating via e-mail as opposed to only 12 times when negotiating face-to-face.

Understanding Personality Directions

The more you understand personality directions, the better you will be able to customize your negotiation tactics. A personality direction is the way in which we lean most of the time in terms of the way we act and react to most stimuli. We hate to be boxed in and categorized, but the reality is, most of the time we are predictable. Sure, people aren't going to be 100 percent predictable all the time, but the more discerning you become, the more you will see how predictable individuals really are. Each individual's personality direction will dictate how you customize your message. When you analyze personality directions, ask yourself the following questions:


I. Is your audience mostly logical or emotional?

A. Logical people:

  1. Think with their heads
  2. Go with what makes sense
  3. Are persuaded by facts, figures and statistics
  4. Rely on past history
  5. Use their five senses

B. Emotional people:

  1. Think with their hearts
  2. Go with what feels right
  3. Are persuaded by emotions
  4. Rely on intuition
  5. Use their "sixth sense"
II. Is your audience introverted or extroverted?

A. Extroverted people:
  1. Love to communicate
  2. Are talkative
  3. Involve others
  4. Tend to be public people
  5. Want face-to-face contact
B. Introverted people:

  1. Keep their feelings inside
  2. Listen more than they talk
  3. Like to work solo
  4. Tend to be private
  5. Use memos and e-mails over face-to-face communication
III. Is your audience motivated more by inspiration or desperation?

A. Desperation-motivated people:

  1. Try to get away from the problem
  2. Are stuck in the past, are afraid of repeating mistakes
  3. Avoid pain
  4. Want to get away from something

B. Inspiration-motivated people:

  1. Work towards a solution
  2. See a better future
  3. Are motivated by pleasure
  4. Want to move forward, have vision
IV. Are your audience members or prospects assertive or amiable?

A. Assertive people:

  1. Consider results more important than relationships
  2. Make decisions quickly
  3. Want to be in control
  4. Are task-oriented
  5. Don't waste time
  6. Are independent

B. Amiable people:

  1. Consider relationships more important than results
  2. Are friendly and loyal
  3. Like to build relationships
  4. Are great listeners
  5. Avoid contention
  6. Are nonassertive and agreeable
Summary

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

Kurt Mortensen's trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.

If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report "10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands." After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Neogtiation How To Be Right Without Making Other People Wrong

Writen by Garrison Wynn

What exactly are we trying to accomplish by proving to others that we're right? We might win the argument but ultimately lose the relationship. Perhaps a better, deeper-rooted question is this: Why do we lose sight of success, of our big objective, when we feel challenged or intimidated?

When I prepare to negotiate, provide a service or turn my employees' talent into performance, I know deep down that if I make people feel valuable they will see my input as having value. But in that moment when they are just hands-down, across-the-board dead wrong, I sometimes can't stop myself from letting them know how incredibly wrong they are. When that happens, my ability to influence them vaporizes on the spot, and I'm left dealing with the response I created by making them wrong.

I think this is the most consistently counterproductive thing we do in business and, I suspect, in our personal lives too. It may be the foundation of communication breakdown. Maybe this behavior is so prevalent because it's part of human nature. Could we be natural born jerks? (Jerkdom – nature or nurture?) If so, how do we overcome the urge to prove our point at the expense of our business or relationship?

Wynn Solutions studied thousands of top communicators and saw a common behavior among them: the practice of not making people wrong. We decided to find out how they did it.

We discovered that these top communicators lowered their expectations of other people's behavior before meeting with them face to face. It seemed to reduce the tendency to overreact in the heat of the moment. Also, they walked in the door with an agenda of not making the other person wrong and of looking for areas where the other person's knowledge was strong. So when that moment came – when other people made their limited knowledge obvious – top communicators were not so ready to pounce.

This approach may sound a bit condescending to some, but it sure beats dealing with communication issues you create for yourself by having to prove you're the smartest person in the room. It allows you to be right without making others feel wrong.

© Garrison Wynn,CSP 2005

Garrison Wynn is a nationally known speaker, trainer, and consultant. He is the president and founder of Wynn Solutions, specializing in building profitable business relationships.

888-833-2902
http://www.wynnsolutions.com

Thursday, June 26, 2008

How To Negotiate

Writen by Peter Arkwright

Before reaching the negotiation stage of selling any business a lot of hard work should have been carried out on both sides. The vendor must ensure his company is totally ready for the sale and any potential purchaser should have carried out due diligence.

Negotiations can be complex and time-consuming, and more often than not break down, sometimes at a very late stage; this can be very stressful for both parties. Saying all this if the right approach is taken by both parties from the outset there is a better chance of a deal being struck that both parties are happy with.

The vendor and any potential purchaser should set their own goals from the very start so both are fully aware what they want to get out of the negotiation process. Having a clear plan for both sides should prevent either side from taking the lead during the negotiation process. Both parties should keep to their objectives: a good negotiator will always win the more important issues and let the other party to win the minor ones.

Prior research and due diligence is always invaluable during any negotiation process. It will show the vendor that you have a true picture of their company; this can be used to strengthen your bargaining position. A good purchaser will attempt to discover any weaknesses in a company so this can be exploited; on the other side a good vendor will attempt to highlight the company's strengths.

The use of basic psychology in the negotiation process is often used: a common tactic is for the purchaser to try and understand the aspirations of the vendor. Most people become emotionally attached to their business and could have personal friends within the staff. Understanding this is a very important tool for a successful negotiator. A good tactic used by the vendor would be to highlight how well his particular sector is growing year and year and how well the economy is doing and how well the purchaser will fair in the future.

I will finish by saying negotiation is a natural process in business; both sides should be fully prepared and if possible enjoy the process. Through good negotiation it is possible for both sides to come out of the deal happy.

If you would like any more information on this subject then please visit our website at www.bizseller4u.com.

Peter Arkwright recently retired from the military; he is now the Managing Director of Bizseller4u Ltd - Providing business solutions in sales, advertising, funding, debt collection and recovery plans

Business Negotiation Using Power And Influence How Do You Exercise Your Power In Negotiations

Writen by Adrian Pepper

The other day, I came across someone who was resigned to be a victim, even though it was clear to me that they had been wronged. They had purchased goods with a guarantee but when they tried to claim, they were told the guarantee was void.

As a business coach, I work to improve my client's performance and to help them achieve their goals. So this is how we turned failure into success.

Influence arises from exercising power

So we reviewed their influence:

  • Relativity - the perceptions of the source and the target often differ so we did a reality check to ensure we had the facts of the case.
  • Balance - power is seldom one-sided and the balance of power is mostly a net sum. I can only be victim if I allow others to be powerful.
  • Domain - most constituencies have limits and the challenges to power often originate at the boundaries. So we explored the power we might have over the defaulting guarantors through the people who set their boundaries.

Power comes from many sources

1. Physical power - money, effort, size, volume. We considered physically threatening the guarantors, but we did not really want to pick up a prison record.

2. Resource power - control on access, on usage, on monopoly, and on discretion. The guarantors were choosing not to be helpful at present and when we spoke to the local Trading Standards office, they were not hopeful.

3. Position power - linked to the role not the person, based on information access, the right to resource power, legitimacy of decisions. We felt we had a grievance and a story to tell.

4. Expert power - based on merit and demand, compared to and recognised by non-experts. We could pursue litigation and use an expert witness to testify on our behalf.

5. Personal power - confidence, popularity, personality, social credit. I knew people who had large windows on the approach roads to the guarantors' offices and we have a good reputation for honest dealing in the business community.

6. Negative power - filters, blocks and distortions applied to information, instructions and requests. Few companies like bad publicity and my client is well connected in the local business community.

How we chose to assert power

Next we made large posters that stated the facts of the case and our opinion of the guarantors and their inaction. These posters we put in prominent positions so that all passing traffic would read about our opinion of the defaulting guarantors. We also talked extensively to our contacts in business and put the word out on the local grapevine.

And we got a result – in three days the guarantors were talking to us and in a week they had settled in our favour.

So what sources of power can you call on when you are negotiating, buying, selling or playing games?

Adrian Pepper coaches people through business and personal difficulties, helping companies figure out what to do, how to move forward and what to get organised. You can contact him through Help4You Ltd, through his website at http://www.help4you.ltd.uk or by phone +44-7773-380133. At http://feeds.feedburner.com/help4you, you can listen to his podcast for small businesses.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

5 Tips For Getting Paid What Youre Worth

Writen by Regina Barr

According to a recent study conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, if current wage patterns continue, a 25-year-old woman, working full time, will earn $523,000 less than the average 25-year-old man by the time they both retire at 65.

Want to get paid what you're worth? Then consider these tips:

1. Banish the romance myth about money. If you haven't figured it out by now, prince charming isn't coming. Further, money is not the "necessary evil" that we have been taught. It is a currency of exchange in our society. You provide a service and in return you receive money. It's that simple. Get comfortable with this concept of money.

2. Develop a career versus a job mentality. Develop a career plan, and write it down. A written plan will help you make better choices. Plus, a planned approach will help you avoid the appearance of job-hopping. And, should you decide to exit the workforce (for family or other obligations), it will be easier to get back on track when you decide to do so. Remember, you can always adjust your plan.

3. Develop a sense of your own worth. Noble poverty is not a virtue unless you are Mother Theresa. Take a lesson from the L'Oreal commercial where the woman says, "I'm worth it." You are. Repeat that to yourself every day as many time as you can. Do this until you believe it. You will be amazed at the prosperity that unfolds for you.

4. Adopt a "yes and" mentality. Lose the "either/ or" attitude that has been drilled into your head. That's the attitude that tells you "I can have a stressful job and make lots of money" or "I can have a job making a difference in the world." Repeat after me: "I can do both." Change your model to "I can have a vital career (i.e. interesting work for excellent pay) and a vital family life."

5. Think big. You have to make money, so why not make top dollar in your chosen profession or field? It all starts with you. You have to create your own reality. Tell yourself you're going to make six figures or more. Write it down. Say it out loud. Share it with a friend. Then see what happens. The universe has a way of helping fulfill our strongest intentions.

Only you can change your mindset and attitude about earning what you're worth. What are you waiting for?

Regina Barr is a business consultant with a passion for helping companies develop their full potential by focusing on their most valuable asset: their people. For more information on her programs and services, check out her website, http://www.RedLadder.com and sign up for her free email newsletter, Developing People...Inspiring Success.

How To Bargain To Win And Still Be Friends

Writen by Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.

Without signing up for the Harvard Negotiating Project, how can you effectively bargain to get what you want?

Let's face it: Each of us negotiates every day. At work, we discuss additional compensation when we're promoted to a new position. We plan a vacation or a move. We negotiate with our spouse over what's for dinner and which TV shows to watch. We negotiate all sorts of things, big and small, on a daily basis.

Negotiation is a means of getting what you want from others. It consists of back-and-forth discussions designed to reach an agreement with another party anytime you face common and opposing interests. But sometimes differing interests can cause the discussion to careen off track into an argument. Even when you reach a compromised agreement, the relationship may be harmed.

Positional Bargaining

Most often, when people bargain, they become entrenched in their positions. They try to reach a compromise that's as close as possible to their original goal. This means bargaining in a give-and-take fashion.

The problem with this process, known as "positional bargaining," is simple: Once you take a position, you lock yourself into it. The more you defend it, the more committed you become to it. Some people try to use soft bargaining, with an emphasis on preserving the relationship. This works—unless the other party is a hard bargainer.

An Alternative Process

There's an alternative to hard or soft bargaining: Change the game entirely. Based on the Harvard Negotiation Project, this method—described in the book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton—is called principled negotiation, or negotiation on the merits.

Principled negotiation involves finding ways to meet the basic interests of both people, seeking mutually satisfying options. Both sides avoid digging in their heels. They separate their personalities and their egos from the problem at hand. They deal directly, empathetically and respectfully with each other. Their goal: to reach a mutually beneficial outcome.

Four Elements to Principled Negotiation

There are four areas to consider in principled negotiation:

1. People: Separate the people from the problem.

2. Interests: Focus on interests, not positions.

3. Options: Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do

4. Criteria: Insist on a result based on an objective standard

The process can be broken down into three phases:

Analysis

During the analysis stage, you gather information, organize it and think about it. You must identify the outcome (basic need or want) you wish to achieve. You'll want to consider any people problems, partisan perceptions and unclear communications as you identify others' needs.

Planning

Deal with the four elements of principled negotiation during the planning phase as you generate ideas and decide what to do. Consider these questions:

1. How will you handle people problems?
2. Of your interests, which are the most important?
3. What are some realistic objectives?
4. What are some additional options?
5. What criteria will be used in decision making?

Discussion

During the discussion phase, both parties examine differences in perception, feelings of frustration and other factors. Each side should come to understand the other's interests, which allows you to reach a joint decision without the high costs of positional bargaining.

With principled negotiation, you'll enjoy the satisfaction that accompanies getting what you deserve while maintaining positive relationships during the bargaining process.

Planning: Deal with the four elements of principled negotiation during the planning phase as you generate ideas and decide what to do. Consider these questions:

6. How will you handle people problems?
7. Of your interests, which are the most important?
8. What are some realistic objectives?
9. What are some additional options?
10. What criteria will be used in decision making?

Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. writes articles for business and executive coaches and consultants. She provides articles on leadership and executive development for sale, and formatted into customized newsletters. Get Patsi's Secrets of Successful Ezines 7-Step Mini-Course to learn what you need to know to publish a successful ezine. http://snipurl.com/Ezine_MiniCourse

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Winwin Power Negotiating

Writen by Roger Dawson

Let's talk about win-win negotiating. Instead of trying to dominate the other person and trick him into doing things he wouldn't normally do, I believe that you should work with the other person to work out your problems and develop a solution with which both of you can win.

Your reaction to that may be, "Roger, you obviously don't know much about my industry. I live in a dog-eat-dog world. The people with whom I negotiate don't take any prisoners. They eat their young. There's no such thing as win-win in my industry. When I'm selling I'm obviously trying to get the highest price I possibly can, and the buyer is obviously trying to get the lowest possible price. When I'm buying the reverse is true. How on Earth can we both win?"

So, let's start out with the most important issue: What do we mean when we say win-win? Does it really mean that both sides win? Or does it mean that both sides lose equally so that it's fair? What if each side thinks that they won and the other side lost—would that be win-win? Before you dismiss that possibility think about it more. What if you're selling something and leave the negotiation thinking, "I won. I would have dropped the price even more if the other person had been a better negotiator"? However the other person is thinking that she won and that she would have paid more if you had been a better negotiator. So both of you think that you won and the other person lost. Is that win-win? Yes, I believe it is, as long as it's a permanent feeling. As long as neither of you wakes up tomorrow morning thinking, "Son of a gun, now I know what he did to me. Wait until I see him again."

That's why I stress doing the things that service the perception that the other side won, such as:

Don't jump at the first offer.

Ask for more than you expect to get.

Flinch at the other side's proposals.

Avoid confrontation.

Play Reluctant Buyer or Reluctant Seller.

Use the Vise gambit: You'll have to do better than that.

Use Higher Authority and Good Guy/Bad Guy to make them think you're on their side.

Never offer to split the difference.

Set aside impasse issues.

Always ask for a trade-off and never make a concession without a reciprocal concession.

Taper down your concessions.

Position the other side for easy acceptance.

Besides constantly servicing the perceptions that the other side won, observe these four fundamental rules:

Rule one of win-win negotiating: Don't narrow it down to just one issue

The first thing to learn is this: Don't narrow the negotiation down to just one issue. If, for example, you resolve all the other issues and the only thing left to negotiate is price, somebody does have to win and somebody does have to lose. As long as you keep more than one issue on the table, you can always work trade-offs so that the other person doesn't mind conceding on price because you are able to offer something in return.

Sometimes buyers try to treat your product as a commodity by saying, "We buy this stuff by the ton. As long as it meets our specifications we don't mind who made it or where it comes from." They are trying to treat this as a one issue negotiation to persuade you that the only way you can make a meaningful concession is to lower your price. When that's the case you should do everything possible to put other issues, such as delivery, terms, packaging, and guarantees onto the table so that you can use these items for trade-offs and get away from the perception that this is a one-issue negotiation.

At a seminar, a commercial real estate sales person came up to me. He was excited because he'd almost completed negotiating a contract for a very large commercial building. "We've been working on it now for over a year," he said. "And we've almost got it resolved. In fact, we've resolved everything except price, and we're only $72,000 apart." I flinched because I knew that now that he'd narrowed it down to one issue, then there had to be a winner and there had to be a loser. However close they may be, they were probably heading for trouble. In a one-issue negotiation, you should add other elements so that you can trade them off later and appear to be making concessions.

So if you find yourself deadlocked with a one-issue negotiation, you should try adding other issues into the mix. Fortunately, usually many more elements than just the one main issue are important in negotiations. The art of win-win negotiating is to piece together those elements like putting together a jigsaw puzzle so that both people can win. Rule one is, don't narrow the negotiations down to just one issue. While we may resolve impasses by finding a common ground on small issues to keep the negotiation moving, you should never narrow it down to one issue.

Rule two of win-win negotiating: People are not out for the same thing

Rule number two that makes you a win-win negotiator is the understanding that people are not out for the same thing. We all have an overriding tendency to assume that other people want what we want, and because of this we believe that what's important to us will be important to them. But that's not true.

The biggest trap into which neophyte negotiators fall is assuming that price is the dominant issue in a negotiation. Many other elements, other than price, that are important to the other person.

You must convince her of the quality of your product or service. He needs to know that you will deliver on time.

She wants to know that you will give adequate management supervision to their account. How flexible are you on payment terms?

Does your company have the financial strength to be a partner of theirs?

Do you have the support of a well-trained and motivated work force?

These all come into play, along with half-a-dozen other factors. When you have satisfied the other person that you can meet all those requirements, then, and only then, does price become a deciding factor. So, the second key to win-win negotiating is this: Don't assume that they want what you want. Because if you do, you further make the assumption that anything you do in the negotiations to help them get what they want helps them and hurts you.

Win-win negotiating can come about only when you understand that people don't want the same things in the negotiation. So Power Negotiating becomes not just a matter of getting what you want, but also being concerned about the other person getting what he or she wants. One of the most powerful thoughts you can have when you're negotiating with someone is not: "What can I get from them?" but "What can I give them that won't take away from my position?" Because when you give people what they want, they will give you what you want in a negotiation.

Rule three of win-win negotiating: Don't try to get the last dollar off the table

The third key to win-win negotiating is this: Don't be too greedy. Don't try to get the last dollar off the table. You may feel that you triumphed, but does that help you if the other person felt that you vanquished him? That last dollar left on the table is a very expensive dollar to pick up. A man who attended my seminar in Tucson told me that he was able to buy the company that he owned because the other potential buyer made that mistake. The other person had negotiated hard and pushed the seller to the brink of frustration. As a final Nibble, the buyer said, "You are going to put new tires on that pickup truck before you transfer title aren't you?"

That straw broke the proverbial camel's back. The owner reacted angrily, refused to sell his company to him, and instead sold it to the man at my seminar.

So, don't try to get it all, but leave something on the table so that the other person feels that she won also.

Rule four of win-win negotiating: Put something back on the table The fourth key to win-win negotiating is this: Put something back on the table when the negotiation is over. I don't mean by telling them that you'll give them a discount over and above what they negotiated. I mean do something more than you promised to do. Give them a little extra service. Care about them a little more than you have to. Then you'll find that the little extra for which they didn't have to negotiate means more to them that everything for which they did have to negotiate.

Now let me recap what I believe about win-win negotiating:

People have different personality styles, and because of this, they negotiate differently. You must understand your personality style, and, if it's different from the other person, you must adapt your style of negotiating to theirs.

The different styles mean that in a negotiation, different people have different goals, relationships, styles, faults, and different methods of getting what they want.

Winning is a perception, and by constantly servicing the perception that the other person is winning you can convince him that he has won without having to make any concessions to him.

Don't narrow the negotiation down to just one issue.

Don't assume that helping the other person get what he wants takes away from your position. You're not out for the same thing. Poor negotiators try to force the other person to get off the positions that they've taken. Power negotiators know that even when positions are 180 degrees apart the interests of both sides can be identical, so they work to get people off their positions and concentrating on their interests.

Don't be greedy. Don't try to get the last dollar off the table. Put something back on the table. Do more than they bargained for.

Roger Dawson
Founder of the Power Negotiating Institute
800-932-9766
RogDawson@aol.com
http://www.rdawson.com

Plain Talk Vs Obfuscation

Writen by Larry Galler

The small, fast-growing, quite profitable three-person company had reached a plateau. Sales for the past couple years were essentially flat in a rapidly growing industry. The owner was concerned that this might be the beginning of a downward trend and wanted to bolster the sales and marketing effort yet none of the three people had expertise in this area. Worse, the owner hated the sales process.

Through various contacts, the owner met a person who is a VP of Sales and Marketing for a major corporation who wanted, for personal reasons, to relocate to the community where the business is located. In a couple of lengthy conversations they discussed compatibility, opportunities, and business values. The owner then asked the VP for an assessment of the company's current reality and how, with his help, prospects for significant growth could be realized.

The VP presented an accurate assessment of the business and his thoughts on what he could do to increase sales and profitability. But he used language that is foreign to the business owner. I think the language is known as "CorporateSpeak." Some examples: "Increase throughput of existing systems to maximize the current investment," "consolidate & streamline the value chain to maximize total return," and "…the concept of developing a customer driven product planning portfolio." Those phrases might be easily defined in a corporate boardroom, but to the owner of a small business, they are suspect. The owner doesn't know what they mean and, more importantly, doesn't know if the VP knows what they mean so negotiations have bogged down.

When negotiating or making a presentation, it is best if everyone is speaking the same language, using the same terms, so each is confident they understand the conversation. The goal is to be clearly understood, not to sound impressive. If the VP had considered the owners background, experience, education, and degree of sophistication when choosing his words he would have better defined the terms he used and the decisions based on the presentations would have been made long ago. In simple words don't obfuscate, speak plain.

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Questions??? Send an email to larry@larrygaller.com

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Communicate Better To Win More

Writen by Eric Jones

Communicating is a constant in all negotiations; in all interaction for that matter. Understanding the dynamics of effective communications to settle conflict is an important aspect of managing the negotiation process. The challenge to communications during any conflict situation is that listening is typically impaired. Those involved, even when they do listen, are not apt to hear what is being said. To reach an accord the parties need to be able to communicate with each other. The first rule of any negotiation is to open channels of communication.

Communication concepts are important to understanding human interaction.

- Learn to listen: The ability to effectively state your message is obviously important. But the ability to clearly hear the other person's message is equally important to reaching an accord. Everyone should work at developing effective, interactive listening skills. When the other person is talking, you have the chance to learn something; if you are listening to what they are saying rather than thinking about what you are going to say.

- Learn to Observe: Observing other people while talking enables you to make sure they are awake, alert and interested. If not, regroup and find a way to get them personally involved in the conversation. When speaking, you are responsible to make sure the others are listening. Verify this by observing the non-verbal reactions to what you say. You are looking to see if they are thinking of something else, if they are planning what next to say, or if they are just asleep!

- Take Responsibility: It is important that you are being heard and understood. We all know the game of telephone. Appreciate that the other person will likely have to review what was said today with others. It is your goal that he or she be able to clearly restate your case as you intend it to be heard. So proactive speaking is an essential tool when negotiating.

There are simple ways to keep the other person interested and attentive to you. 1. Pepper your comments with questions designed to draw them into the discussion. By being involved in the dialogue, they will have to consider what they are saying. And when they speak, it is your turn to listen. They may reveal something of value. 2. Use silence to draw their attention. Pause before an important point you are about to make and let the silence grow until they take notice. Then proceed knowing you have their attention at the moment. 3. Use questions to reinforce their understanding of what you have said. Ask their opinion of a point you just made. If they have missed the point, restate it. You won't have as good a chance to reinforce what you have said once they leave the meeting.

If you aren't clearly understood, what chance do you have?

The author is an assistant editor at How-to-Negotiate.com, a site featuring articles about organizational skills required in the dispute settlement process and how people negotiate everything in their daily lives be it personal issues, parenting matters, social conflicts, or business or work related challenges. The site promotes the fact that conflict is a natural aspect of everyone's life and we should all work at improving our ability to negotiate the curves life throws our way.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Persuasive Negotiation Tips To Get What You Want

Writen by Peter Fisher

Negotiation skills are another form of persuasion, which, when used carefully will ensure you get what you want. What you need to be sure about, though, is what you do actually want; so you must have in mind a really clear idea of your intention before you engage in this persuasion exercise.

When you think about who you want to persuade, what benefits will they gain from your persuasion?

Your proposition will be received much more receptively if you have in mind what benefits they expect to gain.

If you can step into their shoes and empathise with their situation, what benefits can you perceive from their viewpoint?

When you have a good idea of what the other person wants and you keep that positive intention in your mind you will automatically create a rapport between you.

Creating this rapport means that the other person relates to you as someone with the same values and qualities as they have. Now you are in a position to ask questions that they will not consider hostile or intrusive,they will open up allowing you to discover what is important to them.

Now, to be successful with your persuasive negotiation, follow these negotiation tips. An important point to remember is talk less, listen more and focus on the person you are engaged with. In other words sit there and listen as they give you all the high quality information that you can then use to powerfully persuade and guide them!

By paying attention you will notice that people use certain words which may have a lot of emotional value attached.

You will also notice that that many people use words or phrases that indicate how they perceive the world around them.

Listen for the obvious phrases like "I see it this way..." or "It looks to me..." both of which mean the person is what you could call visually oriented.

Alternatively you might hear them say "It sounds as if..." or "that rings a bell..." and you can tell they are somewhat auditory in perception. Other people may say "I'm not sure I can get hold of that..." or "that's a solid idea..." giving you a clue as to the tangible world their minds inhabit.

These are just simple clues, and there are many others when you start to listen. To build the important rapport when negotiating persuasively, try to match your words and phrases so that they are in a similar style. Talking to a visually oriented person with word pictures and questions (How do you see this?), is more effective for your negotiation than talking within a different style.

Peter Fisher is an expert Author, Publisher and Webmaster. He coaches and writes for people undergoing change and developing ther careers. For more negotiation tips you can use visit Negotiation Tips

Friday, June 20, 2008

How Much Are Your Services Really Worth

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I worked quite hard to add a client to my list.

We spoke several times by phone. I crafted and emailed a proposal. Patiently, I stayed in touch over five months, checking in, periodically.

Then, we set a meeting at which I outlined a streamlined proposal, a great fit for them.

And within a few days, I was told they want to begin, but the price for my services is "too high," according to the boss.

What in the world does this mean, too high?

(1) Does this mean they'd simply like to pay less, getting what they consider a better bargain?

(2) Does this mean they're willing to cut back the scope of the project, because right now, the cash flow they have can't support such a large endeavor, as proposed?

(3) Does this mean they have a credible comparison bid to which they can point, that meets my proposal jot for jot?

(4) Does this mean they have seen my price, and they just have a bias that tells them services of this type "should be" cheaper?

(5) Do they believe that they're so inept that they won't be able to capitalize on the value inherent in the program; i.e. that they're dummies, and they'll probably not get what others would get from such assistance?

(6) Do they think all proposals contain fluff, and they want to shake it out of mine?

(7) Do they believe they're hotshot negotiators, or foolish to accept the price of anything, exactly as proposed?

If you're a coach or a consultant, as I am, you face a challenge in pricing your services in light of their actual value with regard to the contribution they're going to make.

Let's say, you're going to help a client to earn an additional million dollars, net, after employing you. How much of that are you worth, in exchange? Ten, twenty, thirty percent?

There is no standard answer.

And the same principle applies to your compensation as an employee.

You're unique, so there may be others who will agree to labor for 80% of your expected rate of pay, but they may be 50% as efficient or effective as you are.

Remember this as you negotiate compensation. Your "worth" isn't a number that can be scientifically derived, so hold out for what you believe represents value, all around!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Sporting Rules Of Negotiations

Writen by Eric Garner

If you want to succeed at negotiations, you need to understand that negotiations are like a game. And, just like any game, the prizes go to the side that understands the rules and plays better. Here are 8 rules taken from the game of squash that can be applied to the game of negotiations.

Rule 1: Get Fit. Good negotiating is an art that is learned from experience. Like any game, the more matches you play, the fitter you get. Fortunately, you can practise negotiations in everyday situations, from booking a holiday to buying a car, to ordering a meal. And then you should let your experience be your teacher.

Rule 2: Seek An Advantage. All games are defined as interplays in which one side seeks an advantage over the other. It's the same with negotiations. Every move you make should be aimed at securing an advantage over the other side.

Rule 3: Follow the Ball. In squash, it is what happens to the ball that matters not what happens to the player. In the same way, in negotiations, it is the issues that are important not the personalities. Your opponents may try to use every trick in the book to unsettle you. They may flatter you, charm you, cajole you, ridicule you, threaten you, reward you, belittle you, sweet-talk you. All of this is to get you to budge on the issues and concede to what they want. Keep your eye on the ball and don't give ground.

Rule 4: Cover The Ground. The best squash players are the most versatile ones. They can serve, block, defend, attack, rally, wait their turn, go for a winner. The same is true of top negotiators. They have a repertoire of arguments, tactics, gambits and positions; they can move forwards, backwards and sideways at will; and they never find themselves trapped in a corner or short of a creative solution out of an impasse.

Rule 5: Think Ahead. The skilful in all sports are those who are able to think ahead and see possibilities. The same kind of anticipation is valuable in negotiations. Before you make a proposal to the other side, anticipate how they are likely to react and be ready with your answer. When you think ahead, you give the impression of being on top.

Rule 6: Don't Relax. There is just a brief moment after you play a good shot in squash when you become vulnerable. You allow yourself a congratulatory smile for being on top. This is when you can let down your guard. It's the same in negotiations. Don't relax; don't rest on your laurels; don't think you've won; don't feel pleased with yourself; don't look back. You have a job to finish, so toughen up.

Rule 7: Think It Through. Every shot you make in squash should be made mentally before you make it physically. Do the same in negotiations. Whenever you make a proposal or reply to one, think it through:
* don't dismiss a proposal from the other side out of hand or simply because you distrust them: think it through
* don't give instant or off-the-cuff responses: think it through
* don't talk on behalf of your colleagues, they may have ideas you hadn't thought about. Adjourn and think it through.

Rule 8: Stay In Crouch. The "crouch" position is squash is the ready position. You should start in crouch and stay in crouch until the match is won. The equivalent position in negotiations is the "tough" position. The opposition will try to weaken your position by every trick: mentally, emotionally, and physically. Aim to stay tough.

Practise these rules until they are second nature to you, and you'll not only win at squash, you'll also be a top negotiator.

(c) Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com

For instant solutions to all your management training needs, visit ManageTrainLearn and download amazing FREE training software. And while you're there, make sure you try out our prize quiz, get your surprise bonus gift, and subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter. Go and get the ManageTrainLearn experience now!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Why Its A Mistake To Offer To Split The Difference

Writen by Roger Dawson

In this country, we have a tremendous sense of fair play. Our sense of fair play dictates to us that if both sides give equally, then that's fair. If Fred puts his home up for sale at $200,000, Susan makes an offer at $190,000, and both Fred and Susan are eager to compromise, both of them tend to be thinking, "If we settled at $195,000 that would be fair, because we both gave equally." Maybe it's fair and maybe it isn't. It depends on the opening negotiating positions that Fred and Susan took. If the house is really worth $190,000 and Fred was holding to his over-inflated price only to take advantage of Susan having falling in love with his house, then it's not fair. If the house is worth $200,000 and Susan is willing to pay that, but is taking advantage of Fred's financial problems, then it isn't fair. So, don't fall into the trap of thinking that splitting the difference is the fair thing to do when you can't resolve a difference in price with the other side.

With that misconception out of the way, let me point out that Power Negotiators know that Splitting the Difference does not mean splitting it down the middle. Just split the difference twice and the split becomes 75 percent/25 percent. Furthermore, you may be able to get the other side to split the difference three or more times. I once negotiated with a bank that had a blanket encumbrance over several properties that I owned. I had sold one property out from under the blanket, and our contract entitled them to a $32,000 pay-down of the loan. I offered them $28,000. I got them to offer to split the difference at $30,000. Over a period of weeks until this four-unit building closed, I was able to get them to offer to split the difference again at $29,000; and at $28,500 and finally they agreed to $28,250.

Here's how that this Gambit works:

The first thing to remember is that you should never offer to split the difference yourself, but always encourage the other person to offer to split the difference.

Let's say that you're a building contractor. You have been working on getting a remodeling job that you bid at $86,000 and for which they offered $75,000. You've been negotiating for a while, during which time you've been able to get the owners of the property up to $80,000, and you've come down to $84,000 with your proposal. Where do you go from there? You have a strong feeling that if you offered to split the difference they would agree to do so, which would mean agreeing at $82,000.

Instead of offering to split the difference, here's what you should do. You should say, "Well, I guess this is just not going to fly. It seems like such a shame though. We've spent so much time on this proposal, and we've come so close to a price with which we could both live. It seems like a shame that it's all going to collapse, when we're only $4,000 apart."

If you keep stressing the time that you've spent on it and the small amount of money that you're apart on the price, eventually the other people will say, "Look, why don't we split the difference."

You say, "Let's see, splitting the difference, what would that mean? I'm at $84,000 and you're at $80,000. What you're telling me is you'd come up to $82,000? Is that what I hear you saying?"

"Well, yes," they say. "If you'll come down to $82,000, then we'll settle for that." In doing this you have immediately shifted the negotiating range from $80,000 to $84,000. The negotiating range is now $82,000 - $84,000, and you have yet to concede a dime.

So you say, "$82,000 sounds a lot better than $80,000. Tell you what, let me talk to my partners," (or whatever other higher authority you've set up) "and see how they feel about it. I'll tell them you came up to $82,000, and we'll see if we can't put it together now. I'll get back to you tomorrow." The next day you get back to them and you say, "Wow, are my partners tough to deal with right now. I felt sure that I could get them to go along with $82,000, but we spent two hours last night going over the figures again, and they insist that we'll lose money if we go a penny below $84,000. But good golly. We're only $2,000 apart on this job now. Surely, we're not going to let it all fall apart when we're only $2,000 apart?"

If you keep that up long enough, eventually they'll offer to split the difference again.

If you are able to get them to split the difference again, this Gambit has made you an extra $1,000 of bottom line profit. However, even if you can't get them to split the difference again and you end up at the same $82,000 that you would have done if you had offered to split the difference, something very significant happened here. What was the significant thing that happened?

Right. They think they won because you got them to propose splitting the difference at $82,000. Then you got your partners to reluctantly agree to a proposal the other side had made. If you had suggested splitting the difference, then you would have been putting a proposal on the table and forcing them to agree to a proposal that you had made.

That may seem like a very subtle thing to you, but it's very significant in terms of who felt they won and who felt they lost. Remember, the essence of Power Negotiating is to always leave the other side thinking that he or she won.

So the rule is never offer to Split the Difference, but always encourage the other person to offer to Split the Difference.

Key points to remember:

1. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that splitting the difference is the fair thing to do.

2. Splitting the difference doesn't mean down the middle because you can do it more than once.

3. Never offer to split the difference yourself; instead encourage the other person to offer to split the difference.

4. By getting them to offer to split the difference, you put them in a position of suggesting the compromise. Then you can reluctantly agree to their proposal, making them feel that they won.

Roger Dawson
Founder of the Power Negotiating Institute
800-932-9766
RogDawson@aol.com
http://www.rdawson.com

Roger Dawson is the author of two of Nightingale-Conant's best selling audiocassette programs, Secrets of Power Negotiating and Secrets of Power Negotiating for Salespeople. This article is excerpted in part from Roger Dawson's new book - "Secrets of Power Negotiating", published by Career Press and on sale in bookstores everywhere for $24.99.

Top 7 Secrets To Franchise Agreement Negotiations

Writen by Lance Winslow

So you are thinking about buying a franchise are you, that is until you read the onerous franchise agreement and thought to yourself; What else does this company want from me? My right arm, first born and soul? Yes, indeed it does seem like that in reading these modern franchise agreements and you think to yourself who on Earth would sign something like that? And yet there are over 500,000 franchised outlets in the United States and they account for one-third of every consumer dollar spent in our Nation.

Many franchise attorneys will attempt to negotiate certain terms out of the franchise agreement on behalf of their client and yet you may find that some of what is negotiated is indeed more of an attempt of the franchisee attorney to prove his self-worth. Look I am not down on Franchisee Attorneys, I am down on all of them. And look, I am a retired franchisor and I have negotiated a few franchise agreements in my life, generally my policy was not too. This resulted in less than 10 franchise sales over the years for our company.

If you want to negotiate a franchise agreement with a smaller franchisor, you need to have an open dialogue and talk about fairness. Larger franchising companies are liable to simply tell you "no way" non-negotiable. You need to be non-threatening in your demeanor. You need to explain your value to the franchise system and how you can also help the franchisor and franchise system.

You need to demonstrate your hard work ethic and teamwork and social skills to get along. Then and only then can you expect me, the franchisor to listen and start to consider your points of contention for possible modification of the franchise agreement. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Youve Been Hired 5 Reasons Young Doctors Lose Money On Their First Employment Contract

Writen by Gerry Oginski

1. They don't have an experienced contract lawyer evaluate their contract.

Do not entrust your physician employment contract to your local general practitioner. While there are some similarities to general contracts and physician contracts, you should have an attorney who has extensive experience reviewing physician contracts. There are more differences than similarities and an experienced lawyer will be able to spot them and correct them before they cause harm.

You wouldn't want a family practitioner performing coronary artery bypass surgery on you unless that physician has had years of training and fellowship in that field of medicine. The same holds true for lawyers.

2. A young doctor is money-conscious and is afraid to spend money to hire a lawyer.

The common thinking is that if they can save a few dollars by not having to pay a lawyer, then they're ahead of the game. Wrong. That's what you call 'penny-wise and pound foolish'. By spending money for a good lawyer now you will be protecting yourself for years to come knowing that you have fought for everything you can possibly get in your contract.

Remember, your contract will guide you for many years. If you make mistakes at the begining by not knowing and not being an informed consumer, you will regret it for years to come. Believe me, I've seen physicians kick themselves for not having their contracts reviewed by an experienced lawyer before signing it.

3. The young doctor is afraid to make waves with his new group or hospital.

You've just been hired. "You got the job!" But, once you see the contract you realize that all is not rosy. However, with good counsel, you can learn to negotiate, and you can have your lawyer be the bad guy and negotiate for you.

It never hurts to say, "My lawyer felt this was inappropriate...", "My lawyer advised me to have this re-worded...", "My lawyer felt this was unfair and needs to be removed." Let your lawyer be the bad guy. Do you think the groups' lawyer is looking out for your interests? Never.

4. The group wants to give you as little as possible.

You have little to compare your contract to. All you know is that when you leave residency you'll be making a tremendous jump in salary as an attending physician. That's good, but that's only part of the equation. You need to know much more.

How do you learn more? By reading books written by attorneys who have experience in this area. Learn all you can about your contract and physician employment contracts. Have your attorney give you a crash course on contracts and negotiation. I guarantee you it'll be the best money you ever spend. An experienced lawyer should know what the going rate is for your specialty in your geographic area. He (or she) should know whether the other benefits you're getting are consistent with other competing groups. You must ask lots of questions.

5. The young doctor fails to do research about the group or hospital he is joining.

This is vital. You must investigate your group. Ask your colleagues about their reputation, their ethics, their surgical or non-surgical abilities. Speak to members who have left the group if possible. The more information you have about the group, the better informed you'll be, and you'll be able to make judgment calls knowing full well what your options are.

CONCLUSION

Be informed, do your research, read your contract, and then hire an experienced contract lawyer who specializes in doctors contracts.

Attorney Oginski has been in practice for 17 years as a trial lawyer practicing exclusively in the State of New York. He has recently published a book that will help every doctor in residency and every doctor changing jobs understand their employment contract. Take a look at his useful website, http://www.mdcontract.com for more information.

Over the last eleven years, Gerry has developed a specialized practice helping residents and physicians who have been offered jobs or are changing jobs. He evaluates and negotiates their physician employment contracts. Gerry can be reached at lawmed1@optonline.net, or 516-487-8207. All inquiries are free and totally confidential.

Power Is An Essential In Negotiations

Writen by Eric Jones

Power is an integral aspect of all negotiations. Those who have it flaunt it. Those who don't, crave it. But is power all it is built up to be? Yes, it is!

Everyone possesses some form of power. It is not a unique or rare commodity. It exists within each of us. The ability to reach in and drawing upon it in time of crisis is another matter.

People who wind up hospitalized after an operation or accident become astutely aware of their helplessness as they lie waiting for the next onslaught of medical staff to probe, press, check, inject, administer and otherwise subjugate the patient with minimal, if any, feedback on what is happening. Powerless to question, much less manage, what is happening to them, many patients become distraught at the helplessness of their situation. This leads to depression and diminished interest in the outcome. Not a healthy attitude for the patient.

Power is an interesting commodity. It can be blatant or subdued. In a negotiation, power is both fact and illusion. Factual power has to do with money, options and time. The more you have of these three items, the more negotiating strength you have. Illusionary power, on the other hand, is often based in how the other person "sees" or perceives you. Your image is based in part on the reality of the situation and the assumptions the others make about you. You can fuel those assumptions by the way you act, your dress, and your mannerisms. Power is a state of mind; both yours and those around you.

Power does have one salient trait. Having power, being empowered, gives one a sense of purpose, of control. The patient noted above is much more likely to heal quickly if they are empowered by the hospital staff and attending physicians with some knowledge of what is happening and what will be happening next. Even better, if they can be given some control of their destiny through participating in the decisions being made on their behalf they are likely to become involved in the healing process rather than remain detached, albeit ambivalent.

Every doctor knows that it a patient's attitude can make a huge difference in the recovery process. Giving them choices, options and, ergo, power, gives them a vested interest in improving.

When negotiating consider how you can bestow elements of power on the other side by inclusive tactics. No matter how much power you have, you will need the other person to eventually agree to your proposal. The entire negotiating dance is a prelude to getting to 'yes'. Inclusive strategies that empower the other side in the process goes a long way to achieving an accord.

The author is an assistant editor at How-to-Negotiate.com, a site featuring articles about how sharing of power is required in the dispute settlement process and how people negotiate everything in their daily lives be it personal issues, parenting matters, social conflicts, or business or work related challenges. The site promotes the fact that conflict is a natural aspect of everyone's life and we should all work at improving our ability to negotiate the curves life throws our way.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Unethical Negotiating Gambits And How To Protect Yourself Against Them

Writen by Roger Dawson

Let me teach you the unethical gambits that people can use to get you to sweeten the deal. Unless you're so familiar with them that you spot them right away, you'll find that you will make unnecessary concessions just to get the other side to agree with your proposal. Many a salesperson has had to endure an embarrassing interview with a sales manager who can't understand why he made a concession. The salesperson tries to maintain that the only way to get the order was to make the concession. The truth was that the buyer out maneuvered the salesperson with one of these unethical gambits.

There's no point in getting upset with the person who uses these unethical Gambits. Power Negotiators remember to concentrate on the issues and think of negotiating as a game. Unless the individual is Mother Theresa, he or she is simply doing what he or she is on this planet for, which is to get the best possible deal from you. You must be skilled enough to instantly recognize these unethical gambits and smoothly counter them.

The Decoy

The other side can use the Decoy Gambit to take your attention away from what is the real issue in the negotiation.

Several years ago, an association hired me to do a seminar at John Portman's Peachtree Hotel in Atlanta. That's a Westin Hotel and a fabulous place. It's 73 stories high, one of the tallest hotels in the country and possibly the world. It's like a round tall tower with only 15 or so pie-shaped rooms on each floor.

As I walked into the hotel I was wondering what I could do to provide an illustration to the people who would be in the seminar the following day, to show how effective Power Negotiating can be. A room had been pre-arranged for me by the organization that had hired me, and I decided to see what I could do about negotiating down the price of the room. Rooms at the Peachtree then typically cost $135. They had given me a very good corporate rate of $75. Nevertheless, I determined to see what I could do and within 10 minutes got them to reduce the price of the room to $37.50. I used the Decoy Gambit on them. They told me that they only had a twin-size room for me. If they had said they only had a full-size room, I would have asked for a twin bed, you understand. It didn't matter what it was, but I said "The association that hired me booked this room a month ahead of time. I am not going to accept a twin-size room." The desk clerk brought out the manager. He explained that they have 1,074 rooms in the hotel. Guests already occupied 1,064 of them, so they only had 10 available, and I would have to settle for a twin-size room.

So, I used the Trading Off Gambit. I said, "Well, I might be willing to settle for a twin-size room, but if I do that for you, what will you do for me?" I thought possibly they might offer a free breakfast, or something like that. However, to my amazement he said, "We might be able to adjust the price of the room a little bit. How would half price be for you?" I said, "That would be just fine." Then, as they gave me the key to the room, the manager said, "Let me check just a moment. We may be able to do something more for you." They made a telephone call and found out that they did have a queen-size room available. Maintenance had just finished redecorating it, and they weren't sure whether they had released it yet. So, I ended up getting a $135 queen-size room for only $37.50.

The Decoy I used was that they only had twin-size rooms available, not king-sized. That wasn't the real issue at all, of course; what I wanted to accomplish was a reduced room rate. The size of the bed took their attention away from the real issue.

Watch out for people who lure you away from the real issue with the Decoy Gambit. Let's say that you sell custom made tools and dies, and your customer is insisting on accelerated shipment. Stay focused and isolate the objection. "Is that the only thing that's bothering you?" Then go to Higher Authority and Good Guy/Bad Guy: "Let's get something in writing, and I'll take it to my people and see what I can do for you with them." Then turn the tables: "We may be able to accelerate the shipment, but it's going to increase the non-recurring engineering charges."

The Red Herring

The Red Herring Gambit is a further twist on the Decoy Gambit. With the Decoy, the other person raises a phony issue to get concessions on a real issue. With the Red Herring, the other person makes a phony demand that he will subsequently withdraw, but only in exchange for a concession from you. If the Red Herring distracts you, it will deceive you into thinking that it's of major concern to the other side when it may not be.

The classic example of the use of a red herring came during the Korean War armistice talks. Very early in the talks the parties concerned agreed that each side would be represented at the table by officials of three neutral countries, along with their own national negotiators. The South Korean side selected Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland as their three neutral negotiators. The North Koreans chose Poland and Czechoslovakia, but couldn't seem to choose a third. They suggested that the talks start, and they would identify a third country later.

What they were really doing was leaving an opening for the Red Herring Gambit. When the time came and they had set the stage, they announced their selection for the third country: The Soviet Union. The international outcry was unanimous: "The Soviet Union? Now wait a minute. The Soviet Union isn't a neutral country."

The North Koreans responded by saying that the Soviets were not directly involved in the conflict, and there was no reason for them to be considered biased.

They waged the battle of the Red (pardon the pun) Herring for quite a while, until the situation became absurd. The North Koreans continued to insist that they couldn't understand what the objection was to using the Soviet Union as a neutral third party, until the objections of the South Koreans seemed as ludicrous as the demands of the North Koreans. The negotiations had stalemated.

Just as it seemed that the pointless arguing would continue forever, the North Koreans announced that they would abandon their insistence on having the Soviets at the negotiating table, but they expected a reciprocal concession.

Both sides had agreed earlier that during the negotiations, neither side would rebuild their airstrips. The North Koreans realized later that this left them at a severe disadvantage because we could fly planes off aircraft carriers, but they needed their runways. So the North Koreans decided that it was time to use the Red Herring Gambit and suggested the Soviet Union as the third neutral country. Now it was time to name the price: They would concede and choose a different country to represent them, but only if the South Koreans would waive the restriction on rebuilding the airfields. The North Koreans never seriously thought that we would agree to letting the Soviet Union be part of the negotiations. However they were able to magically create a bargaining issue out of thin air and then trade it off later for an issue about which they really cared.

When the other person is creating a red herring issue that she will try to trade off later, keep your eye on the real negotiating issues and don't let her link it to a concession you're reluctant to make.

Cherry Picking

Cherry Picking is a gambit that a buyer can use against a seller with devastating effect, unless the seller is a Power Negotiator and knows his or her options.

If you're thinking of acquiring a new piece of equipment for your company, you can use Cherry Picking to your advantage. Shop around and accumulate information before you make a decision. Call up companies and have all their sales people come in and make a presentation to you. You'll find that one has a good point in a particular area, perhaps a fast shipment. Another has a low price and a third has a good guarantee. So, from all these interviews, you piece together the ideal piece of equipment.

Then you go back to the one you like best and say, "I'd like to buy your equipment except that I want to get the longer guarantee. Or I want to get the faster shipping." In this way, you create the type of deal and the kind of contract that you want.

So, buyers should push for itemized contracts whereas sellers should avoid it. Because Cherry Picking is to me an unethical gambit, the perpetrator is less likely to do it to someone he knows and trusts than he is to a comparative stranger. So, sellers can forestall this tactic by building a personal relationship with the buyer.

Another way to handle people who might want to Cherry Pick you is to forestall the Gambit. Let's say that you're a contractor who is trying to sell a remodeling job to a homeowner, and you know she's going to talk to all the other contractors in town-how do you forestall it?

The answer is to know more about your competition than they'll ever learn. So the homeowner says, "I want to check with some other people before I make my final decision."

You respond, "I absolutely agree with you." Always agree up front, right? Salespeople should always agree with any objection however ridiculous it is and then work to turn it around. "I absolutely agree with you. You should check with other companies before you make a decision. But look, let me save you some time. Have you talked to Ted Smith over at ABC Construction? He uses XYZ cabinets that have this feature, this feature, and this feature; but they don't have this. Then if you talk to the national department store company down at the mall, the sales person who'll come out will be Fred Harrison, and he'll tell you about model number such and such . . .."

By the time you've gone through letting her know how much you know about the competition, she's going to think, "Why on Earth do I need to waste my time talking to all these other people, when this person knows more than I'll ever learn."

To defend yourself against Cherry Picking always consider the alternatives of the other side before making a concession. The fewer alternatives the other side has, the more power you have. If you as a seller refuse to budge on your price, then you force the buyer to pay more from another supplier or use multiple suppliers. In the case of the home remodeling job, this would mean that the homeowner would have to bypass you as the general contractor and contract with each sub-contractor separately. This may require more knowledge or expertise than the other side possesses or may create extra work and pressure that it is not worth the savings.

The Deliberate Mistake

The Deliberate Mistake is a very unethical tactic, and as with any con job, it requires a victim who also lacks ethics. The seller baits the hook when she prepares a proposal and deliberately leaves out or under-prices one of the elements. For example, the car salesperson who runs an adding machine tape on the cost of the car but includes only the price of a tape player, when the car also has a CD player. If the buyer takes the bait, he starts thinking that he now has an opportunity to put one over on the car salesperson. He becomes eager to close the deal before the salesperson spots the mistake. This eagerness makes the buyer a sloppy negotiator, and he may end up paying more for the car than if he had pointed out the mistake. Apart from that, the salesperson still has the option of "discovering" the mistake before the buyer consummates the sale and, with an accusing look, shames the buyer into paying the extra amount. The counter-gambit may sound high minded, but it's obvious. Never try to get away with anything. If your greed doesn't cost you at that moment, it will certainly catch up with you later down life's road. Instead, point out the mistake and say, "I assume that you're not charging me for the CD player because you're trying to get me to make a decision now?"

The Erroneous Conclusion

A variation of the Deliberate Mistake is the Erroneous Conclusion close. Using this method, the salesperson asks a question of the buyer, but deliberately draws an erroneous conclusion. When the buyer corrects the salesperson, she finds that she has made a commitment to buy. For example, the car salesperson says, "If you did decide today, you wouldn't need to take delivery today would you?" The buyer responds, "Well, of course we'd want to take it today."

The real estate sales person says, "You wouldn't want the sellers to include the refrigerator would you?" The buyers hadn't been thinking of doing that, but the refrigerator looks better than theirs does so they reply, "Do you think they would include it?" The salesperson responds with, "Let's include it in our offer and see what happens."

The boat salesperson says, "You wouldn't expect us to include a CB would you?" The buyer sees an opportunity to get something for nothing and responds, "I sure would."

The Default

The Default Gambit is one that involves a unilateral assumption that obviously works to the advantage of the side proposing it, such as the company that sends a payment check to a vendor after having deducted two and a half percent. Attached is a note that says, "All of our other vendors discount for payment within 15 days, so we assume you will too." Or the salesperson who writes a potential buyer, "Because I haven't heard from you on your choice of options, I will ship the deluxe model unless I hear from you within ten days."

The Default Gambit preys on busy or lazy people; it assumes that rather than take action the other side will take the easy way out and let you get away with it. Once you have failed to respond, the law of precedent comes into play. When you finally do object the perpetrator is able to say, "But you've never had a problem with it in the past."

As with all unethical gambits, call the other side on it and gently explain that you expect to see a higher level of ethics from them in the future.

Escalation

I once knew a man who became very wealthy after he sold his real estate franchise to a large corporation. He had been one of the original purchasers of a territory when real estate franchising was new, and the founder of the company was running around the country trying to sign up anyone who believed in his concept. Many years later a huge New York corporation had bought the master franchise and was starting to buy back the territorial franchises. After attending one of my Secrets of Power Negotiating seminars, he asked me to join him for a drink and asked me, "Roger, have you ever heard voices speak to you when you're negotiating?" Not wanting to admit it if I had, I asked him what he was talking about. He told me that after he had agreed to sell his territorial franchise to the new corporate owners for what he first thought was a huge amount of money, he started to have second thoughts. Because his was the first franchise the corporation was buying back they flew him to New York for a signing ceremony to be followed by a press conference at which they would announce the corporation's plans to buy back all the franchises. "The night before the ceremony I had trouble sleeping," he told me. "I lay on my bed wondering whether I was doing the right thing. Suddenly I heard a voice talking to me."

"What was it saying," I asked him, half expecting a humorous punch line. "It said, 'Joey, you're not getting enough money.' So the next morning I went down and asked for another half million dollars and got it." What Joey was describing was a classic case of escalation-raising demands after both sides have reached agreement. Of course it's outrageous and unethical, but just as Joey thought he heard voices telling him to do it rather than accept responsibility for his actions, the perpetrators often don't see any harm in cutting the best deal by any means possible. So, why is anyone ever allowed to get away with such outrageous behavior? All too often, the other side swallows its pride and concedes just as easily as that corporation conceded the extra half million. In that case, the corporation paid rather than faces the humiliation of having to call off the press conference. In other cases, the other side has simply become too emotionally involved in the purchase to back out.

The history of big business is full of stories of people who extorted a little more out of a deal simply because they had enough leverage to do so. Frankly, I have mixed emotions about how to respond. My heart tells me that if people do that, you should call their bluff and walk away from the deal on principle. However, I also believe in keeping emotions out of a negotiation. If that New York corporation was able to pay the extra half million and still have it be a good deal (and it was still a very good deal) then they were right to swallow their pride and pay the money. There are some responses to escalation other than swallowing your pride or walking away. You might try these:

o Protecting yourself with Higher Authority. Tell them that their suggestion does not offend you, but that your board of directors will never renegotiate a deal once it has been made and they will force you to walk away. Then Position for Easy Acceptance by telling them that although you cannot budge on the price, you might be able to offer them something of value in another area.

o Escalating your demands in return. Tell them that you are glad that they want to reopen the negotiations because your side has been having second thoughts also. Of course, you would never renege on a deal, but since they have chosen to negate the original proposal, your price has now gone up also.

It is better to avoid Escalation than to have to deal with it. Avoid it by using these techniques:

o Tying up all the details up front. Don't leave anything to "we can work that out later." Unresolved issues invite Escalation.

o Building personal relationships with the other parties that makes it harder for them to be ruthless.

o Getting large deposits so that it's harder for them to back out.

o Building win-win negotiations so that they don't want to back out.

Planted Information

Returning from a speaking engagement, I was discussing that day's Presidential press conference with my seatmate. "I don't believe he's telling us the truth," he told me. "I met a man who knew someone who works at the White House, and he told me that the President did know all about it all along. He's covering something up." What amazed me about this was that I found myself believing what this man was telling me, rather than believing what I had earlier heard the President of the United States say at the press conference. Why? Because we always tend to believe information that we have obtained surreptitiously.

Planted information can be an astoundingly powerful influencer.

A salesman is making an impressive presentation to a board of directors. Flip charts and audio visual aids surround him. He is fervently making a plea that they go with his company because it offers the best value in the marketplace. He believes that no competitor can undercut his prices and feels confident that he can close the sale at his asking price of $820,000-until he sees one of the directors pass a note to another director who nods and lays the note on the table in front of him. Curiosity gets the better of the salesman. He has to see what's on that note. He finishes his presentation, then approaches the table, and dramatically leans toward them. "Gentlemen, do you have any questions?" Out of the corner of his eye, he can now see the note. Even reading upside down, he can see that it says, "Universal's price is $762,000. Let's go with them."

The chairman of the board says, "I do have one question. Your price seems high. We're obligated to go with the lowest price that meets our specifications. Is $820,000 the best you can do?" Within minutes, the salesman has lowered his price by $58,000.

Was the note real or was it Planted Information? Although it was just an unsubstantiated note scrawled on a piece of paper, the salesperson believed it because he obtained the information surreptitiously. Even if they had planted it, could the salesperson cry foul later? No, because they didn't tell him that the competition's bid was $762,000. He obtained the information surreptitiously, and he must accept responsibility for his assumptions.

Simply knowing about planted information will help you to diffuse this unethical tactic. Any time that you are negotiating only based on information that the other side has chosen to tell you, you are extremely vulnerable to manipulation. When the other side may have planted the information for you to discover, you should be even more vigilant.

The best advice I can give you about unethical negotiating tactics is the same advice as I would give you if planned to walk down an alley in a third world country:

Learn the swindles and the tactics that unscrupulous people use.

Be alert to them and when you see the first evidence of a scam being pulled, don't hang around out of curiosity or a desire to outsmart the perpetrator-just run away from it as fast as you can.

Never let your greed get the better of you. All con artists need a co-conspirator to pull off a con game. If the tactic doesn't sound right to you, pull away as quickly as you can.

Roger Dawson
Founder of the Power Negotiating Institute
800-932-9766
RogDawson@aol.com
http://www.rdawson.com

Roger Dawson is the author of two of Nightingale-Conant's best selling audiocassette programs, Secrets of Power Negotiating and Secrets of Power Negotiating for Salespeople. This article is excerpted in part from Roger Dawson's new book - "Secrets of Power Negotiating", published by Career Press and on sale in bookstores everywhere for $24.99.