Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Negotiating Benefits in a Job Interview
June 15th, 2011 | 
Author: Negotiate to win, but only when the time is right. You must first prove your strengths in a highly competitive job market. A top job-performance record and a costly college education can allow you to negotiate benefits in a job interview. Follow these steps to improve your negotiating skills.
Instructions
Assemble Your Tools
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- 1 Ready your assets for presentation. Bring a detailed resume to outline your accomplishments professionally and academically.
- 2 Spend 2 to 3 hours in preparation for your interview. Practice speaking about yourself with upright posture and conviction.
- 3 Wear your best suit. If you don’t have one you think is presentable enough, rent one. When you’ve got what it takes to negotiate benefits, present yourself as though you don’t need them.
Present Your Best
- 1 Be rested and alert on the day of the interview. Write a list of the specific benefits you’d like to be compensated with. Memorize the list so you can confidently present it.
- 2 Feel assured that your qualifications and demeanor can help you claim all that you desire in the job interview, but use caution. Overconfidence can work against you if it veers closer to cockiness.
- 3 Get there early and keep your chin raised for a smile and welcoming eye contact. Research company information online so you can energize your presence with enthusiasm and credibility. Know who their competitors are and what they provide that’s different. Show how you can do it better.
Snare Your Claim
- 1 Develop momentum in your job interview so that you feel in control. Ask specific questions throughout, and when the opportunity arises, offer your educated view as deferentially as possible.
- 2 Seize your opening near the end when the interviewer runs out of steam ahead of you and you feel confident they want you. Secure your pay rate and negotiate benefits to close the deal. Do this before they have the opportunity to tell you what they offer.
Tips & Warnings
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Know how the company compensates other employees, especially the person interviewing you.
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Use caution in your first interview. A situation like this requires tact; therefore, you must be patient and state your expectations at just the right time.
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Don’t be so determined that you fall into the trap of discussing illegal information like marital status, gender preferences or religion.
By an eHow Contributor updated February 08, 2011
Posted in 
Now That I Think About It…
Last wednesday my sister, who I live with, brought home an adorable Australian Shepard puppy. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen. So full of life and energy, but can also be insanely destructive to the house. As I am watching the puppy tonight it makes me think about negotiations. Although he is not a human being, he sure has a way of negotiating with my sister. If he wants attention he goes over and starts whining. If she does not pay attention to him he will bite at her feet or pants. This makes me chuckle that such a small little puppy can negotiate his way to attention. I did not used to think of this type of situation as a negotiation until I have started writing this blog. I have become aware that SO many things in life are centered around negotiations, not just the many ones I have already experienced and thought of.
This is proof that negotiations happen everyday, sometimes in the most unusual ways.
If anyone else has any little negotiation stories they thought of today, feel free to share. I would love to hear your stories!
Negotiation Skill Games
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Negotiation is an important skill for many situations. Businesses need to understand negotiation to work with their partners and their competitors. Teachers need to learn how to negotiate with their students to get good grades, and students must negotiate to stay out of trouble. Use simple negotiation skill games to improve your group’s negotiation skills in no time.
Cross That Line
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Cross That Line works great in any environment, including high school and even business meetings. Divide your group up into two teams. Each team picks a team leader. Place the teams on opposite sides of the room and run a piece of rope down the middle of the room. Players cannot move to the other team’s side. The leaders stand across from each other during this game. Each team tries to negotiate with the leader of the other team to make him move to their side. They can debate, cajole and even bribe the leader into changing sides. All bribes must be honored by the team for them to successfully win the game. The other team tries to negotiate with the other captain, making this game a frantic and an exciting debate game.
Tennis Game
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Tennis is a great metaphor for the art of negotiation. Use this metaphor to help improve your group’s negotiation skills. Set your team across from each other at a table. Select a negotiation topic, such as who is going to pay for the sodas after the meeting. Randomly choose a team to start. The first team member makes an offer, such as “we’ll pay for 60 percent of the sodas, as long as we get to take half of the bottles in for a refund.” The player directly across from him on the other team makes a counter proposal to the player next to the “serving” player as quickly as possible. This game must be done fast. This player then makes another proposal to the player across from him. Continue this order until the very end, when the proposals cycle through again. It continues cycling until one team accepts the proposal.
Auction Game
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The auction game can give your group a true understanding of the importance of negotiation. Play this game only in a workplace with people who can afford to lose a little money. Everyone puts at least $1 in the game pot. After this has finished, players bid on how much they are going to pay to buy the pot. The twist to this game is that the highest bidder and the second highest bidder pay the final bid amounts. However, only the highest bidder wins the money. This game drives players to negotiate prices with people who are willing to spend money and either split the pot or get a percentage. Naturally, the second highest bidder will want to get an equal amount of money, but this is entirely up to the highest bidder. Players learn the importance of negotiation in a very short time.
By Eric Benac, eHow Contributor
Cross Culture Negotiations
In today’s global society and economy, cross-cultural negotiation strategies ensure communications with people of other cultures are fruitful and beneficial to all parties. According to Rosenbaum’s “How to Steer Clear of Pitfalls in Cross-Cultural Negotiation,” a problem-solving rather than a contentious approach works best when negotiating across cultures. The contentious negotiator avoids making concessions and appears to be less effective in cross-cultural negotiations. In contrast, the problem-solving approach focuses on reaching a shared agreement and avoiding deal-breakers.
Speech
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When negotiating across cultures, communicators should recognize and avoid verbal expressions with which the other party may be unfamiliar. Negotiators should refrain from using slang terms, acronyms–even those associated with the particular business or industry–and figures of speech. The negotiator should pause periodically for questions rather than delivering the entire message at once.
Context
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Negotiators should conduct research to discover whether the audience prefers communication to be direct or indirect. High-context cultures, such as those in Asian countries, prefer indirect communication, and like to establish relationships or reinforce existing ones before negotiating. Arabian and Mediterranean cultures also share these high-context preferences for indirect communication. In contrast, the U.S., Switzerland and Germany exhibit low-context behaviors and prefer direct communication.
Active Listening
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In cross-cultural negotiations, participants should employ active listening techniques in conversations. The process of active listening involves restating or summarizing the content of another person’s verbal message. These responses ensure immediate feedback on whether the message has been interpreted correctly. Active listeners also facilitate deeper communication with probing questions. Active listening increases the likelihood of better understanding among negotiators.
Time
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Negotiators should consider the concept of time as an important variable in cross-cultural negotiation strategies. According to “The Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Effects of Anger on Negotiation Strategies: A Cross Cultural Investigation,” Chinese cultures take more time for negotiations than their Western counterparts. Having patience and operating under fewer time constraints can ease potential tensions during negotiations.
Organization
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Organization style influences people’s negotiation and communication methods, as well. Monochronic cultures, such as the U.S., Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland and England, prefer tackling tasks and processing information in a sequential and discrete manner. They prefer to complete tasks and trains of thought one at a time. Polychronic cultures, in areas such as the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, tend to think in terms of the entire problem or situation rather than breaking it down into separate parts.
Mediators
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While mediators can assist in relaying information, they sometimes intensify tensions in cross-cultural negotiation. Groups and individuals in negotiations sometimes detect bias if the mediator has the same cultural background as one of the negotiating parties.
How to Win More in Real Estate Negotiations
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Remember that the written word did not come down from the mount unless it is on tablets and delivered by Moses. Challenge the written word if you do not agree. Nothing is non-negotiable, no matter how many times it is written down.
Perhaps the most important skill you can have in negotiating is listening. Listen very carefully. You will learn what the other person wants, and you will learn if you can provide it in a way where you both win.
The old cliché time is money works in real estate negotiations. Time is an investment, and the more time you get your opposite to invest, the more likely you are to reach a deal that you like. The more time anyone invests, the more they have to lose if the deal does not go through. Time increases the chances of getting the other party to say yes.
All of your deals should have a deadline. Don’t let time work against you.
In any market, it is best to act quickly on your part. You want the other person to invest their time, not yourself. Strike while the iron is hot. All deals go away at some time.
How To Write A Credit Card Negotiation Letter
Maybe you just lost your job or your hours were reduced. Maybe you just received your credit card statement and the interest rate has been increased and/or your minimum payment has skyrocketed. Whatever the reason, a letter to your credit card company can help you negotiate a compromise on the terms of your card.
Instructions
- 1 Look at your current credit card bill carefully. Write down your balance due, available credit, minimum payment and APR.
- 2 Look at your previous month’s credit card bills to compare the same information and see if anything has changed. Note what has changed and when. (If the change is in your balance due to new purchases you have made, disregard the change.)
- 3 Decide what you want to negotiate with the credit card company. Did it raise your interest rates? Your minimum payment? Did the company cut your credit line in half?
- 4 Find the corporate and customer service addresses for your credit card and be prepared to send your letter to both addresses. Going right to the top of a company may help you in your negotiations because upper management usually has the power to assist you.
- 5 Be honest in your letter. Remind the company how many years you have been a customer. Stress what a good customer you have been, noting the exact number of years or months of on-time payments you have made. Let the company know how your circumstances have changed and/or what it has done to your account that you would like changed.
- 6 Include proof of lower income: copies of pay stubs or, if you have lost your job, photocopies of unemployment checks. Let the company know how much you can pay based on your monthly income and other bills. Many credit card companies would rather come to an agreement with you to get some money rather than charge off your account for nonpayment.
- 7 If you are upset regarding an increase in APR, tell the company how the increased interest is affecting your ability to pay with the same information above. Request that the card company lower the APR to its previous rate or a lower rate than you currently have.
- 8 If you are upset due to a decrease in your credit line, ask your card company to increase your limit again because it is affecting your utilization and lowering your credit score. Many banks will work with you if they receive a letter from you that shows you are willing to do your part.
- 9 End the letter with a few words of thanks and provide all contact information. Inform the company that you are open to any correspondence and that you hope to remain a customer for a long time.
- 10 Send the letter by certified mail so that you have proof of delivery.
How to Identify Competitive Negotiation Tactics
Negotiation tactics can be very subtle. It can take a seasoned professional to pick up on them. Each party in a competitive negotiation uses body language, tone, appearance and even volume to persuade and influence the other party. Both sides will continue to compete until one party prevails or until both sides are satisfied and a settlement is reached. Negotiators use many tactics to influence the counter party. Being able to recognize some common devices will help you hold your own.
Instructions
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- 1 Look out for negative reactions. This is also know as the “wince.” Acting shocked or disappointed by a proposal is meant to communicate disdain for the offer, but it may be an attempt to throw you off.
- 2 Don’t underestimate the power of silence. Silence can make people feel uncomfortable. It is a tool professional negotiators use to draw out information from the other party.
- 3 Try playing “good cop/bad cop.” This is a classic technique in detective shows on TV. One member of your negotiating team is obtuse and unreasonable, another is down to earth and friendly. The “bad cop” can express your side’s anger and frustration by ranting and raving, allowing your “good cop” to play peacemaker, gain some points with your opponent, and possibly strike a better deal.
- 4 Beware of the “red herring.” In negotiations, a red herring refers to a distraction one party might try to create over a minor point, leading the other party to lose its focus on the most important issues. The best way to handle this is to “parking lot” the issue, or suggest it be discussed at another time. This acknowledges the issue, but clears the way to discuss bigger items.
- 5 Look out for the end run. If your counter party makes an offer that’s too good to be true, beware. Make sure you understand all aspects of the proposal.
- 6 Beware the “bait and switch.” Negotiators may use an attractive offer to lure you in for a “real” deal that is less to your advantage.
- 7 Don’t be thrown by a tantrum. This is another tool competitive negotiators use since people dislike confrontation. Recognize it for what it is, keep your cool and reiterate your last point.
Business Negotiation Etiquette
If you work in a field in which you have to negotiate often, it’s very important that you know the etiquette associated with negotiating, such as how to speak to a potential client and how to behave when the negotiation process is prolonged. These courtesies will help you to avoid awkward situations and make a positive first impression.
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Greetings
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Before the negotiations officially begin, it is essential that you present yourself as friendly and polite to give the impression of trustworthiness. The most common form of greeting in the corporate world is the handshake. However, if you are in countries such as France or Brazil, kisses on the cheek are the norm. If you are in the Middle East, a nod of acknowledgment may be best when greeting someone of the opposite sex. Learn the culture of the people you will be negotiating with. This is a sign of respect and an indication of how you will behave during the business process.
Small Talk
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It is also common for some professionals to engage in small talk before the negotiations begin and to have short conversations after negotiations have ended for the day. This gives everyone time to become more comfortable with one another and is the gateway to building a lasting business relationship. However, in some countries such as Finland and Germany, small talk is not part of business culture, and meetings start precisely on time. After negotiations, a German or Finnish professional may host a dinner or a trip to the sauna for casual conversation. In places such as Mexico and Saudi Arabia, small talk is expected, but it’s best to know which subjects are off-limits. For instance, it is not proper etiquette to discuss the poverty in the country with Mexican professionals, and one should not inquire about the well-being of a female family member in Saudi Arabia.
Presentation
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If you will be presenting information that is meant to sway a client in a certain direction in a business deal, be sure that your presentation is concise, fact-based and easy to follow. While some companies depend more on a favorable relationship when making a final decision in a negotiation, it is always proper etiquette for you to have facts and figures ready to present to each meeting participant. Being thoroughly prepared for the presentation and ready to answer any questions is likely to make new clients more at ease when it comes to doing business with you.
Deciding on Strategy
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When you are deciding which negotiation strategy to use, considering the negotiation etiquette of the professionals you are working with is imperative. For example, in the U.S., it is appropriate to use “hard selling” or persuasion to get a businessperson to side with you in the negotiation process. However, in countries like Australia this is inappropriate and could result in the end of a potentially positive business relationship. In the Middle East and parts of Africa, bargaining is common and expected–both sides make offers on an item or service until a satisfactory price is reached. In some cases, it is best to simply state the facts regarding your stance in the negotiation, to be honest about your intentions and to respectfully listen to all the opinions presented at the meeting.
Waiting for a Decision
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Once all the information has been presented and it’s time to come to a decision, using proper etiquette to respect this part of the process will help to secure the business deal. In many companies, the final negotiation decision is made from the top down, meaning that executives will likely have additional meetings to determine the negotiation outcome. Being patient and accommodating during this time shows that you respect the process and are not simply focused on getting “your way.” Following up with the negotiation proceedings in the appropriate way, such as sending a short email, will show that you are genuinely interested but don’t want to seem too pushy.
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Encourage You To Gain Knowledge
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3 Quick Tips That Will Improve Your Negotiations
1 Seek to understand what the other side really wants. Most times you have to analyze a difficult situation from the vantage point of the other side. What do they want? What do they need from me and or this deal? What do they fear losing? Am I really hearing them and their wants?
These are 3 quick tips that can help a person improve their negotiations instantly. Read them a couple times and remember them. They will help you!!