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Mary Ellen Bates
Bates Information Services, Inc.
8494 Boulder Hills Dr.
Niwot, Colorado 80503 USA
Tel: 303.772.7095
Email: mbates@batesinfo.com
Skype: Mary.Ellen.Bates
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mebs
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/maryellenbates
Bates Information Services, Inc.
8494 Boulder Hills Dr.
Niwot, Colorado 80503 USA
Tel: 303.772.7095
Email: mbates@batesinfo.com
Skype: Mary.Ellen.Bates
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mebs
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/maryellenbates
One of my favorite speaking topics is on how to successfully negotiate with clients. And let's face it, negotiation feels like a four-letter word to a lot of us. I admit - I am so reluctant to negotiate that a rug dealer once gave me a discount just because it drove him crazy that I would consider paying what he initially quoted me.
However, if we can't negotiate with clients, we really can't get any business done. There is the initial negotiation as you agree on the scope, time frame and budget of a client's project. If you find that there isn't much information available on a topic, you may have to renegotiate the scope of the work. If you need your web site redesigned, you negotiate with a designer regarding how much you want to spend and what she can do for you. If a conference organizer calls you and asks what you charge to give a presentation, you have a discussion about your speaking fee and the type of presentation you give. You get the idea.
While I could talk for hours about how to change your approach to negotiation, here are some of the key ideas that I have found to be most useful:
One theme that runs through all these ideas is, "it's business, not personal." Approach negotiation with the knowledge that the outcome is not the ultimate reflection on your own value or worth. This perspective frees you up to look at both parties' goals and to devise a solution that is collaborative rather than confrontational.
However, if we can't negotiate with clients, we really can't get any business done. There is the initial negotiation as you agree on the scope, time frame and budget of a client's project. If you find that there isn't much information available on a topic, you may have to renegotiate the scope of the work. If you need your web site redesigned, you negotiate with a designer regarding how much you want to spend and what she can do for you. If a conference organizer calls you and asks what you charge to give a presentation, you have a discussion about your speaking fee and the type of presentation you give. You get the idea.
While I could talk for hours about how to change your approach to negotiation, here are some of the key ideas that I have found to be most useful:
- Negotiating does not equate to confrontation. Being assertive does not require being aggressive.
- Keep the discussion focused on your common interests, not your separate positions. Do you want to achieve a goal or just win an argument?
- What is your ultimate goal? Not how you will get it done, but what is your underlying, tangible, measurable goal? And what are your fall-back desirable outcomes? In other words, what are you really negotiating for?
- What is the other person's ultimate goal? How can you both move toward a goal that meets your individual objectives?
- Take 100% responsibility for the outcome of the negotiation, keeping in mind that one possible outcome is for the two parties not to reach a resolution. You do have a choice in this, even though the consequences of some of the choices may not be desirable.
One theme that runs through all these ideas is, "it's business, not personal." Approach negotiation with the knowledge that the outcome is not the ultimate reflection on your own value or worth. This perspective frees you up to look at both parties' goals and to devise a solution that is collaborative rather than confrontational.
