From Marty Finkle, CEO

Negotiating for Success

October 2015

In this issue...

Tutorial: Use time as a variable

From the coach's lens: Be flexible with strategies

Blog: Stop persuading and give to get

Testimonial: ANS taught me to shift power balance in my favor

100+ join webinar on powerful opening statements

Advancing Negotiation Skills open courses

Executive roundtable Dec. 11

Meet our

lead tutors

Jill Campen

Jerry Langlois

Associate tutors

Violaine Galland
Ananda Laberge

Ross LaGumina

John Leehman

Julie Shen

Read team bios.

Open courses

All listed below are

Advancing Negotiation Skills (ANS) unless Coaching Negotiation Skills (CNS) or Scotwork Strategic Negotiating (SSN) is indicated.

Parsippany

-Nov. 9-12: ANS

-Dec. 7-10
-Jan. 12-13: CNS
-March 14-17
-March 29-31: SSN

New York City

Jan. 25-28

Raleigh

-Nov. 16-19
-Feb. 1-4

Toronto

Nov. 16-19

New York City

Jan. 25-28

San Francisco area

Feb. 8-11

Chicago

Feb. 29-March 3

Register.

CEO's message: When your counterpart suddenly changes

All is well. The negotiation is proceeding smoothly. You've got a good shot at getting many items on your wish list without conceding anything you shouldn't.

Then--out of nowhere--your negotiating partner changes, becoming antagonistic and making unreasonable demands. What happened? And what do you do?

Your counterpart's abrupt behavior change could be a result of circumstances beyond his or her control, such as the loss of a key client that brings unprecedented economic pressures and makes everyone uneasy.

Whatever the reason, don't overreact. Take a step back. Ask the person what's behind the sudden change and try to validate with your own research. Then discuss the long-term implications.

For example, if financial conditions prevent a client from paying you a fair price for goods or service, consider--as long as the company agrees to pay the original price (perhaps with an added bonus) when conditions improve--agreeing to the lower price for the short term. This way you're trading for the concession instead of just giving it away unconditionally and setting a precedent. We suggest getting the agreement in writing since the other side may change team members or forget. (See Tutorial: Use time as a variable.)

In any negotiations, be flexible (see From the coach's lens).

Marty Finkle, CEO

Tutorial: Use time as a variable

Trading requires at least two variables so you can concede an item of lesser importance to gain an item of greater importance. But when it appears that you only have one variable, consider adding time and asking these types of questions:

When should it start?
How long will it continue?
When will it be reviewed?
Will different aspects be affected at different times?

Often, a provision opposed by you or the other side on principle may be acceptable if phased in over a long period.

From the coach's lens...
Helping ANS alumni coach others

Be flexible with your strategy

When you run into a barrier in your negotiation, you may be tempted to push harder to break through. But be careful about those unintended consequences.

If you represent a major retailer whose just-released quarterly earnings are far lower than expected, you may be tempted to push your supplier for even lower prices more. But this strategy can backfire if the vendor becomes annoyed and is then less willing to concede anything of value to you. Plus, the suppliers may even band together against you.

To get around this type of roadblock, devise a strategy that allows you to go around, instead of through, the barrier. Instead of antagonizing a vendor--and damaging the relationship--figure out how to trade so both sides can benefit. That may mean a short-term deal everyone can live with and an agreement to change the terms when conditions improve.

Blog: Stop persuading--give to get

When persuasion doesn't work, think instead about what to concede.

Find out how a journalist was able to change the terms of his non-compete contract by giving just enough.

Read Romana Henry's blog.

Testimonial:
Advancing Negotiation Skills taught me to shift power balance in my favor

"The ANS course was extremely worthwhile in defining the roles of my negotiating team, explaining the key steps, and offering strategies to break through potential barriers.

"It taught me how to regain control when the balance of power appears to be shifting to the other side.

I've already applied the techniques in three major negotiations, including one where my counterpart presented an 'open door request,' and, before he could finish, I devised a counter proposal."

Ron Cerminaro

H. D. Smith, LLC

100+ attend 10/23 webinar on powerful opening statements: Recording available

More than 100 people participated in our webinar, Powerful opening statements on Oct. 23, part of our Scotwork NA Live webinar series.

Tutor John Leehman gave a dynamic presentation and answered questions on several aspects of this critical topic.

Listen to recording (30 minutes)

ANS course Dec. 7-10: Get ready for 2016

Prepare for your challenging negotiations next year by enrolling in one of our Advancing Negotiation Skills (ANS) courses.

Seats are available for Dec. 7-10 in Parsippany. See the rest of the schedule on the left column. Register.

Executive Roundtable: Dec. 11 in NYC

If you're a leader at your organization, come to the Scotwork NA executive roundtable on Friday, Dec. 11 in New York City.

We'll discuss the most significant negotiation trends and the latest strategies to maximize results. We'll also celebrate Scotwork's 40th anniversary. Contact Cathy Rafferty.

Scotwork at 40: Remembering 1975!

Pet Rocks

To commemorate Scotwork's 40th anniversary, here's a notable event from 1975:

Pet Rocks, the perfect pet that didn't need to be fed, walked, bathed or groomed, were introduced.

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