“Killer Insights That Will Make You A Better Negotiator” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

There are factors that determine the degree of success you’ll have in a #negotiation. Those factors are what will also make you a good #negotiator or one that’s significantly better. The following are a few of those #killer #insights and how to use them to your advantage in a negotiation. Using them will ensure that you have a #better negotiation outcome.

Negotiation Environment:

Where you negotiate can have hidden advantages for the person controlling that environment. But there are also ways to control an environment that you’re not in control of.

  1. Your environment – When you control the environment, you can control the temperature, lighting, and other creature features that would make one more comfortable while negotiating. If the negotiation becomes tense, you can increase or lower the temperature in the environment to coincide with the adjustments you want the other negotiator to make (e.g. he gets heated, you turn the room temperature up or down to make him hotter or colder).
  2. Not your environment – When you don’t have control of the environment, if things become intense, you can offer to change venues. If it’s accepted, you will gain the advantage of not being in the environment that the other negotiator controlled. Plus, he will have allowed you to take the lead simply by his acquiesces.

Negotiation Positioning:

The way you position yourself before a negotiation determines how someone perceives you – it will also play an important role in the way you’re treated. If you position yourself as a tough guy, a tough guy negotiator type may treat you harshly – that’s his form of protecting against you perceiving him as being weak. If you position yourself as being weak, the tough guy may attempt to take advantage of you, while the weak type of negotiator may become emboldened to become more aggressive.

For the best positioning, consider the negotiation style (e.g. hard, soft, meek, bully) that your opponent may use – and assess which negotiation style you should adopt to offset any advantages he might gain from negotiating in that manner.

Negotiation Strategies:

Control – You command a negotiation by the degree of control you exercise. When appropriate, you can give the impression that you’re led by the other negotiator – you might wish to do that to gain insights into where he’ll take you with his control. You might also do it to put him at ease – less powerful negotiators become fearful when they sense they’re up against a more knowledgeable negotiator – letting him lead will allay his fears of being dominated by you.

Offers – Some negotiators will insist on getting a concession for everyone they make. You don’t have to do that. Depending on the negotiator type you’re negotiating with, consider saving the chits you gain from making concessions and using them in a combined force (e.g. I’ve given you this and that and I’ve not asked for anything. Will you please give me this?) – Accumulating concessions in this manner and calling in the chits earned from them can become a very strong persuader for the other negotiator to make concessions. Just be sure not to grant too many of them before making your request. The more concessions you make without getting a return, the more likely it becomes that they will lose their full value.

No matter the type of negotiation you’re going to be in or find yourself in, using the above insights will improve your negotiation abilities. And, it will improve your negotiation outcomes. So, always be mindful of how and when you use them… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

Presentation Skills Master Class

Recently I participated in a workshop organized by the Suisse Romande chapter of the International Coaching Federation. The workshop entitled ‘The Coach as secure base: the foundation for building trust’ was presented by Professor George Kohlrieser of IMD in Lausanne. My initial intention in writing about this was to summarize and communicate the learning I took away from the workshop. However, I have also chosen to write about communication and presentation skills, both of which are development areas for many of my clients.

George Kohlrieser is the consummate professional when engaging an audience and getting his message across. Due to factors beyond his control he was a little late for the event. After a day’s work which finished with him giving a presentation to 500 senior executives (a last minute request) one could forgive him (and us) for being a little jaded. However he launched into his presentation with a few self-deprecatory and funny remarks which had the workshop participants laughing uproariously and soon we were almost eating out of his hand.

The enthusiasm and passion George has for his subject were palpable. He has a background in clinical psychology and, in addition to his work on leadership development at IMD, he is frequently involved in hostage negotiations around the world. One might of thought that this was the first time he had given this particular presentation given the energy and freshness he brought to his delivery, but I am guessing he has given the core of the content many times.

This leads to a key requirement that many presenters forget. What will interest the audience in what I have to say, and/or how can the audience use the information imparted practically? Frequently, presenters try to deliver exactly the same message to many different audiences and consequently there is a discrepancy between the message delivered and the message received. George remained faithful to the context and the professional interests of the majority of his audience, i.e. professional coaches. I would bet that every participant in this event could take some learning away and use it the next day in his or her work.

To call it a presentation would be misleading. It was a highly interactive experience with frequent demands on the participants to respond to challenging questions thrown at them, or to interact with fellow participants to try out some technique, and/or engage in a role play.

Throughout, George gave the impression that he could learn at least as much from us as we could learn from him. He listened actively to all questions and comments, asking clarifying questions or recapping what he had understood when necessary to ensure he could respond accurately. In this way he built rapport and trust with every participant.

His discourse included a mix of professional and personal anecdotes which always adds to the interest and understanding of participants. I certainly felt that I was gaining an insight into the man, both professionally and personally. His description of his first involvement in a hostage taking, during which a man held a pair of scissors to George’s throat, threatening to kill him, had me on the edge of my seat. Happily he was able to bring the situation to a satisfactory conclusion with the man deciding to give himself up to the waiting policemen, and thanking George for helping him see a better way out of the situation.

George did have a PowerPoint presentation but I only remember seeing a few slides which he used when he felt they could add value to the learning, and he certainly did not need the slides as a prop. He used several quotations to highlight points or to stimulate thinking. What was helpful about the slides was that each participant received a hardcopy at the end.

Finally, ever available and gracious although by now it was after 10 p.m., George took questions, signed copies of his latest book Hostage at the Table and wrote a personal and individual message for each person.

If you get the opportunity to participate in a workshop animated by Professor George Kohlrieser TAKE IT. If you have a personal or professional interest in coaching, I recommend that you attend a monthly meeting of the ICF.

Seven Simple Steps to Designing a Corporate Proposal Power Point Presentation

As a personal trainer we understand there are 4 main options once qualified be an employee, be a contractor for a gym or franchise, own/operate a studio or operate a mobile/outdoor business.

With more and more PTs pursuing operating a mobile/outdoor business there seems to be a growing demand and supply for group training but more importantly corporate training. In the last week alone I have had a handful of Personal Trainers ask me advice about the most effective strategies for starting a corporate training business including designing a proposal and how to deliver their packages/services effectively to prospect businesses and clients.

A major part of the proposal process is obviously sales and negotiation and after 10 years experience in sales in the health and fitness industry 6 years Neuro-Linguistic Programming experience and operating a corporate training business I have discovered the following vital tools for closing a corporate proposal deal.

Now even if you are not running a corporate business you can still learn new strategies for up-selling your own individual PT packages from the valuable information below.

If you wish to dazzle your prospect it is vital to have a sexy visual aid to seduce them and have them lust after your services and what you uniquely have to offer.

Below are 7 simple steps (each a power point presentation page) to elicit a burning desire in your prospects to pursue you and your amazing services with unbridled enthusiasm.

Page 1: Cover page.

This page is the first impression of your entire proposal and should set the symbiotic relationship frame of your relationship and you do this by showing both your business details and theirs on the cover page.
This should include your name and logo (presented by) and their name and logo (you can get this off the net) This shows that you are about win/win situations and are genuine in your approach.

Page 2 POD (Point of Difference) /Intro to benefits gets them thinking about the why…

This is purely and simply your POD, what makes you special if 2 other businesses met with your prospect prior to you why should they chose you over them?

If you have a slogan also place it on this page.

Page 3 some interesting facts/stats about their sport/business/industry.

Do some research so they can see you have done your homework and put effort into the proposal, you can use this to start the credibility phase of your proposal and prove you know what you are talking about.
This is the beginning of why they need help so base the information on WHY. Perhaps use issues or problems.. Some examples are $ amounts, ratios, studies and reports.

At the end of this page ask them 2 questions.

Question 1 what are some other important issues you believe I don’t have on here?

By gathering this information you can be sure to cover all bases and be thorough.

Question 2 why do you think that by having some assistance this will help?

This will un-cover what they believe to be their weakness in which you can feed back to them and use as fuel for the fire.

Page 4 Credibility.

This page is about the awesome you. All your qualifications, experience etc… Place anything and anything that demonstrates your capability including and incorporating even minor details which will set to impress
The aim of this page is to show them why they specifically need you and why they should choose you over another business or service.
Perhaps have one or two testimonials on here as well.

At the end of this page ask them 2 questions.

Question 1: by having someone with my qualifications and experience do you think it will assist you and make things easier for you?

By having your prospect say how it will benefit them in their own words they are persuading themselves and cementing the credibility psychologically of your services.

Question 2: In what way do you think It will benefit you having someone with my knowledge and qualifications assisting you?

Once again this will give you even more insight to their weaknesses and begin to overcome objections for the pre-close.

Page 5 what’s in it for them.

List all the benefits. Squash as many as possible on the page and go through each point specifically.

Here reiterate the stats, reports, figures etc… so it isn’t just here say use a smaller font size and jam pack every possible benefit possible showing them (so it seems) they are getting the better end of the deal.
At the end ask them the question in what other ways do you think It can benefit you having me on your team?

Once again it is in their words and they begin selling themselves, remember you don’t need them they need you and if they see that they will want you BAD…

Page 6 the Package includes:

Everything and anything in the package should be at least 8-12 items and go through each one thoroughly.

In bullet points every detail of your package information, eating plans, seminars, emails, 100% money back, reassessments, measurements, newsletters, freebies, etc etc…

When describing this package (preferably with a name) take your time to clarify specifically on a quantifiable level the comprehensiveness of the package. Spend more time on this page than any other. The whole proposal should take a good 30-45 minutes so around 5 minutes each page is great even up to 10 for this page.

Question: Can you see how this package will benefit you?

Question: What do you like most about this package?

Page 7 Pricing options

Use a double bind or t-chart option 1 or option 2

Example the first option is an advanced option (upfront) the second option is an easy payment plan.

Question: based on what we have discussed today I have two options the first option is……. or I have the more popular option (the option you wish them to choose) which is….. Out of these two options which is easier for you?

THEN SHUT UP and wait for an answer….

It is vital you use this exact wording as they will choose one or the other.
Example if you have a child lets say his name is Johnny and he is watching a cartoon lets choose an old favourite of mine He man and I said to Johnny: Johnny would you like to do the dishes now or would you rather wait until the end of the cartoon?

What do you think Johnny will choose? After right! If i asked Johnny upfront to do the dishes there is no way he would have obliged willingly.
Once they have made a choice then continue to schedule the first appointment of whatever it is and sign up the paperwork there and then.

If by some reason they decline offer them a free incentive to keep the ball rolling like a free trial etc…