Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals - Hardcover

Brodow, Ed

 
9780385518499: Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0385518498 ISBN 13: 9780385518499
Verlag: Crown Pub, 2006

Inhaltsangabe

We find ourselves engaged in various kinds of negotiations every day, from trying to land a new account or win a promotion at work, to buying a house or a car, or bargaining down a cell phone bill, or settling a dispute with a friend or spouse. In this groundbreaking book, negotiation expert Ed Brodow shows us how to settle conflicts amicably to reach a win-win solution every time.

Using the no-nonsense, results-oriented boot camp approach, Brodow drills readers on the basic skills needed to master the art of negotiation. After completing Brodow’s basic training program, you will have learned how to:

• Conquer your fear of confrontation and overcome the negative behaviors that hold you back
• Identify and develop your personal negotiation style
• Assess the other side’s strengths and weaknesses
• Get the other side to make concessions without giving up any of your goals
• Master the art of listening to understand the other side’s position and strengthen your own
• Avoid getting sidetracked by personal or emotional issues
• Create an atmosphere of trust in which the other party is a collaborator rather than a competitor
• Break through impasses and close the deal

Using a wealth of examples from real-life encounters, Brodow demonstrates how to negotiate for things most readers never knew were negotiable, such as department store purchases, medical costs, loan rates, phone bills, and credit card fees. He reveals how to develop the skills and the confidence each of us need to negotiate successfully, and achieve our goals at work and in our personal lives.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

ED BRODOW is one of corporate America’s best-known and most successful negotiation experts. The creator of the acclaimed Negotiation Boot Camp ™ Seminars, he has taught his techniques to such corporations as Microsoft, AT&T, Starbucks, Goldman Sachs, The Hartford, and American Express. He has appeared on PBS, Fox News, and Inside Edition,and has been featured in publications such as the Washington Post, Entrepreneur magazine, and SmartMoney. He lives in Monterey, California.

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WEEK ONE
Is There a Negotiator in Your Closet?


The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.
—SHAKESPEARE, JULIUS CAESAR


Conflict seems to be part of the human condition. Regardless of what the issue is, we will find a way to fight over it. In spite of this tendency, human beings have always tried to get along. What is the greatest invention in history: Fire? The wheel? E = mc2? In my view, it is the art of negotiation. Negotiation is about getting along.

Let me give you my definition of negotiation:


Negotiation is the process of overcoming obstacles in order to reach agreement.


What is the primary obstacle? The difference between your position and my position. Human beings invented negotiation to stop ourselves from physically harming each other (or worse) when our respective positions appear to be incompatible. The history of conflict resolution from the last ice age to the present suggests that without the art of negotiation, the human population would be significantly smaller.

The objective of negotiating is to reach agreement. So in one sense, a successful negotiation is one that culminates in agreement. There are times, however, as we will see, when the lack of agreement—an impasse or deadlock—can signal a successful outcome; that is, if we determine that, in this particular instance, an agreement is not in our best interest.

All things considered, I prefer to think of a successful negotiation as one in which at least one of the parties is satisfied with the outcome. Satisfaction is the key element in every successful negotiation. In a traditional adversarial negotiation, such as the sale of a house, the negotiation is successful if you are satisfied. In a cooperative (win-win) negotiation, success occurs when both parties are satisfied.

One point of clarification here. Satisfaction means that you get what you need, not necessarily what you want. What you need and what you want are not always the same thing. You need a car to get to work. You want a Lexus or a Mercedes, but your budget won't stretch that far. A Honda will do the job. So your need is met and you can be satisfied with a Honda.

There is also an important difference between your need and your stated position. Your need is what you must get in order to solve a problem. Your position, on the other hand, is what you say you want. Occasionally, a negotiator may put forth a position that asks for more than she truly needs. Satisfaction occurs when the need is met, not when a position is satisfied. In a negotiation, instead of being sidetracked by positions, it is essential to focus on the other negotiator's needs.


PROFILE OF A NEGOTIATOR

I believe the kind of negotiation we should strive for is one in which both parties achieve satisfaction. What kind of negotiator is able to make this happen? Can we create a profile for the successful negotiator?

Below are the ten traits I’ve found that successful negotiators tend to have. How many of them do you share?


1. Negotiation Consciousness
We’ve all heard the phrase “Everything is negotiable.” In the world of negotiation, my world, that is literally true. Negotiation consciousness is what I call the mind-set of people who make deals. A person who has high negotiation consciousness tends to be assertive in stating what he wants and challenges everything. And that means everything. You cannot achieve what you want in a negotiation if you are unwilling to challenge the other person’s position.

The classic example of low negotiation consciousness is often seen in the area of contract negotiations. Even the most experienced buyers and sellers are intimidated by contract clauses. The majority of contracts are written by attorneys in complex legal language that most people are afraid to challenge. A negotiator with high negotiation consciousness is not scared to challenge contract clauses, even if she does not completely understand the legal jargon.

In one eye–opening instance, I was hired as a speaker for a large corporation. The contract they wanted me to sign included a clause that required me to take out millions of dollars in liability insurance. I immediately pointed out to my client that I was merely the guest speaker, and since the facilities were under the sole control of the client, there was no earthly reason for me to be held liable for any injuries that might occur as I gave my speech.

“I’m sorry,” replied my client. “It is company policy. I don't have the authority to change it.”
I guess they expected me to concede and let the issue die. Instead, I asked to speak to the head of the contracts department, who gave me the same speech. “It’s our policy, blah, blah, blah.” Still, I would not back down. I pursued the issue all the way to the legal department at the company’s headquarters in another state. When I explained the problem to their head lawyer, she agreed with me.

“This obviously does not apply to you,” she said. “Go ahead and strike the clause from the contract.”

Without negotiation consciousness, I would have been at the mercy of a piece of paper.

A client of mine recently admitted to having low negotiation consciousness.

“I just don’t like to be assertive,” she said.

It seems she had called her accountant and asked a short, simple question. Although the call lasted only ten minutes, she soon received a bill for $250. When she called about the bill, her accountant said, “My policy is to charge $250 for all phone calls.”

“But you’ve been my accountant for ten years,” said my client, “and in all that time, you’ve never charged me for phone calls.”

“It's a new policy,” he replied.

My client was too intimidated to argue. “How can I overcome my passivity?” she asked me.

“Being aware of your low negotiation consciousness is the first step,” I replied. “Now you must compensate for your weakness in this area by making a special effort to be assertive.”

Undoubtedly, people had been taking advantage of this accountant by engaging him in long phone conversations and expecting that they would not be charged. So I advised my client: “Tell him that you can understand why he was upset, but that (a) you didn't know his policy had changed, (b) your call was only ten minutes, and (c) you will be happy to comply with his policy with respect to future calls.”

“Do you think I can really change my character?” my client wondered.

“It is not about changing your character,” I explained. “It is about changing your behavior. You simply need to be more willing to challenge what other people tell you.”

Challenging means not taking things at face value. Instead of blindly accepting other people's assumptions, you have to be able to think for yourself.

This applies when you are buying a new car. Don’t just accept the sticker price; instead, use it as the starting point for your negotiation.

And it applies when your accountant bills you $250 for a ten-minute phone call.

When a negotiator is confronted with a contrary point of view, his attitude is, “That's your opinion. Here's mine.” Having the guts to speak up is called assertiveness. Being assertive means asking for what you want and refusing to take “no” for an answer. Here are my Assertiveness Training Tips that may help you change...

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Verlag
Crown Pub
Erscheinungsdatum
2006
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0385518498
ISBN 13 
9780385518499
Einband
Gebundene Ausgabe
Anzahl der Seiten
198
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
Nicht verfügbar

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