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Packaging Horizons
Power Negotiating
It’s a lot easier (and less confrontational) than you think.
"I am of the firm belief that anything (and I do mean ANYTHING) can be negotiated. I’m not just talking about your average automobile.Whaddaya mean you paid STICKER PRICE? Or job benefits — you said HOW many weeks vacation time? Or even Wedgwood antiques — of COURSE it says 1852 on the bottom.I am talking about the mundane, the ordinary, the everyday occurrence.” — Lonna Buinis
Negotiation is a loaded word. Some don’t like the confrontation that’s implied in negotiation. The image of angry people facing each other over irreconcilable differences comes to mind. For others, like Lonna Buinis, packaging manager at ARQUEST, Inc., in Cranbury, New Jersey, the idea of a stimulating round at the bargaining table gets her juices going. She’s seen first-hand how anything — and she does mean anything — can be negotiated.
Houses, office supplies, printers are all fair game for Buinis’ bargaining skills, as long as it’s done with determination, enthusiasm and style, which is her criteria for negotiation.
Negotiating water polo and winning
Talk to Joan S. Smith, M.A., president of Leadership Consultants International in Laguna Hills, California, about negotiating, and she is equally as enthusiastic — also from first-hand experience. Smith recalls one of her clients who negotiated with a future employer about the time she would need to take from work to participate in a water polo team. “She had become overweight due to her heavy workload and had started Weight Watchers and exercising religiously. When it came to negotiating what she wanted in her contract, she spoke up for her health and well being,” reports Smith.
Win/win starts with plan/plan
Those who still can’t equate negotiating with fun are probably thinking there’s a big difference between bargaining over extra time as opposed to issues that represent major differences.” Perhaps if you knew what good negotiating skills are, you’d change your mind. To Yasir Zaheer Gondal, packing supervisor at Anwer Industries (Pvt) Limited in Gujranwala, Pakistan, negotiating starts with having the complete layout of the negotiation in mind from what you’ll start with, to how you’ll cover the main points, to wrapping it up, including the consequences. “In other words, your homework must be complete,” he states.
Research is the name of the negotiating game. Walking into what many feel is the epitome of a negotiating situation — buying a car — Buinis was ready. She had a spread sheet with competitor’s prices, she knew exactly what she was willing to pay, and she was ready to walk out the door. “You have to know the game if you want to play it and put in the time to do your research. You can’t walk in cold,” she emphasizes.
Leave ‘em laughing
In addition to information, there are some other simple things you can bring to the table. A good sense of humor is one of them. Listening is another. Smith adds asking questions to the list. “People think that they must know everything. You don’t. Nobody does,” she recommends. Firmness is called for too, as in not caving in at the first sign of resistance. But along with the admonition to stand firm, there’s the need for flexibility too. “Go in with a range, not just one set price,” Buinis says. “I have a bottom line, but even that can move a little.” Surprisingly, women make very good negotiators even though they must overcome the stereotypes that others have placed on them and which they place on themselves. Buinis observes that women have an edge in their ability to see an issue from a more personal viewpoint, which, according to Buinis, is a big weapon. “Use your strengths,” she advises.
Lonna Buinis can be reached by e-mail at arquestpackaging@aol.com or phone (609) 395-9500, Ext. 230.
Yasir Zaheer Gondal can be reached via e-mail at ygondal@yahoo.com.
Joan S. Smith, M.A. can be reached by e-mail at LCI@home.com, phone (949) 448-7912 or web site (beginning in September) www.LCIcoaching.com.
Ten Common Negotiating Mistakes
By Mimi Donaldson
Excerpted from Negotiation for Dummies, with the author’s permission
My many years of instructing seminars in negotiating have yielded valuable information. Here is a brief review of the 10 goof-ups that people ask about most frequently during my negotiating seminars
1. Starting to Negotiate Before You Are Ready - Starting to negotiate before you’re ready may be the worst mistake you can make. There is never a good enough reason to start negotiating before you are ready. No matter whom you are negotiating with, don’t start talking until you are ready. If the other side calls, tell the truth: You don’t feel fully prepared. Use the occasion to your great advantage by inquiring about the other party’s position.
2. Negotiating with the Wrong Person - Always verify that you are negotiating with the right person from the beginning. Even when you know the person on the other side, you may want to start by confirming the fact that this person has the authority to close.
3. Locking on a Position - When you lock on a position, you insist on a given solution and you are closed to any other suggestions. You think the solution must be the one you are putting on the table, or the agreement just won’t work. This is called positional negotiating. When you lock on a position, you destroy the negotiating process. Additionally, you look ridiculous. It is rarely true that the only solution is the one you bring to the table at the very beginning of the discussions.
4. Feeling Powerless during a Negotiating Session - There is a definite reason that feeling powerless during a negotiating session is not a condition of your spirit; it is not dictated by the circumstances; it is not something you have to endure. It is a mistake. If that feeling begins to set in, you need to “push the pause button.” Take a break from the negotiation to figure out why you are feeling that way. Don’t continue negotiating.
5. Worrying about Losing Control of the Negotiation - The big mistake with losing control is generally the very notion that it is a mistake. This is a perception problem. Negotiation is not about control. It is about working together to find the best solution to the problem at hand.
6. Wandering away from the Goals and Limits You Set - People too often start a negotiation with a set of limits and goals and then, as the negotiation progresses, ignore them. The best way to avoid losing sight of your limits and goals is to write them down. Let your notes be your guide. Changing your limits and goals as a result of acquiring more data is fine, as long as you’re conscious that you’re doing it.
7. Worrying Too Much about the Other Guy - Win-win doesn’t mean worrying about whether the people you negotiate with always get everything they want. Unfortunately, many people who aren’t too assertive anyway use the widespread acceptance of the win-win mantra to justify not looking out for themselves. You must set your own limits and goals and then fight for them to the last. The other party should (and usually does) do the same thing.
8. Thinking of “Just the Right Thing to Say” — the Next Day - It happens to everybody from the President of the United States on down: No one has all the right things to say at just the right time all the time — except in the movies. Life is not a movie. It’s not even a good television show. Life is unrehearsed and ad-libbed. The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to come up with the right thing to say at just the right time.
9. Blaming Yourself for Another’s Mistakes - When things go awry, most people blame themselves — even if the problem isn’t their fault. Resist that temptation. If you are inclined to blame yourself for the woes of the world, think about why that is so. This tendency has a great deal to do with a lack of self-esteem.
10. Not Focusing on Closing the Negotiation - This is kissin’ cousin to worrying too much about the other guy. You must keep all the basic skills of every negotiation in mind at all times. Many people are inclined to forget the fact that from the first time you hear about the possibility of a particular negotiation, you should be thinking about the close. Each aspect of closure is driven by the preparation for the negotiation process itself. Focus on closing during every step of the negotiation.
Mimi Donaldson has frequently shared the stage with prominent fellow keynoters (the likes of General Colin Powell, Elizabeth Dole, Katie Couric, Joan Lunden, Maya Angelou and Suze Orman). She is co-author of Negotiating for Dummies. You can reach her by e-mail at mimi@mimidonaldson.com, phone (310) 577-0229 or web site www.mimidonaldson.com.
When Your Salary Is at Stake
by Joan S. Smith, M.A.
I have coached many people in getting the salary they want. It’s all in how they listen. If they think they have to dominate, they’ll be frustrated. If they think you have to be “fair,” they’ll be too low key. The key is in simply being oneself. Self-expression is a function of responsibility.
After having worked with women who have been fired, laid-off, victims of reorganization, or going through mid-life crisis and wanting a complete change in lifestyle, I have found there are five main keys to negotiating salary.
1. Never discuss salary until the end of the interviewing process.
2. Never be the first one to mention a salary figure.
3. Before the interview, do your homework on how much you really need.
4. During the interview determine whether the salary offered is fixed or contains room for negotiation.
5. Do your research on salaries in your field or organization before your interview.
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