When I was running an honors conference at a fine liberal arts university, one of my guest lecturers, a chap I knew in grad school who had later become a minor academic luminary, asked attendees at the end of his talk: “Would you pay me for the quality of information you received, here?”
He wasn’t asking [...]
There are several ways to make any deal, yet for the most part, 99% of bargainers select the obvious path, which often leads to an impasse. Business negotiators should practice their skills 24/7, and especially when they have their consumer hats on. This enables them to try new tactics while matching wits with others, from [...]
If you are well-versed in the business world, then you are probably familiar with the “Let’s do lunch.” mantra that means that you are setting up a business meeting to discuss plans for the future. Nowadays, with one or even two Starbucks on every corner, you may be noticing that this business concept is now [...]
It’s 9:11 on a Friday morning.
I’m in the middle of a negotiation, and there is a pause in the action.
For strategic purposes, I have resolved I will not communicate, next. If this means the deal, as offered to this point, is off, so be it. I can and will live with that.
But in the meantime, [...]
In this economy everyone wants to negotiate or haggle for the best deal. I have compiled a list of questions to ask when you are trying to negotiate a better price or deal. If one of these questions does not elicit any response, try another. Be persistent.
Here are the questions:
1. What is the best you [...]
Some negotiators are a little too “cute” in how they play the game.
They decide that a deal is an opportunity to assert their power, to preen, and to create confusion.
They like being the center of attention, and while ostensibly striving for agreement, they’re simply cruel kids pulling the wings off of bugs.
I’m here to tell [...]
I read about a small town in Kansas that passed a law in 2003 requiring every household to have a gun. You read that right. Consistent with the Constitution, the municipality didn’t permit people to possess their six-shooters and Berettas. It compelled them.
Of course, the question that’s burning in your mind is, “Why?”
“To fight crime, [...]
My daughter is currently learning about how to add fractions in school. The trick to doing this right is that you have to make sure that the denominator (the number on the bottom of the fraction) is the same for both numbers before you add them. She’s struggling with this concept and it reminds me [...]
Are we in The Land of OZ? No, but the Fire Marshall can click his heels or write cancel on the paperwork and all your plans and ideas are stopped, or the reverse – approved, and all your time and effort and planning is given the go-ahead.
If you have been in event planning for any [...]
One of the toughest decisions you’ll make in negotiating is what to do once you have proof your counterpart is a liar. Do you cut off all contact, withdrawing on the spot from any current transactions? This isn’t always possible, practical, or desirable. Though strictly speaking, you do have a justification to at least call [...]