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Use Proper Planning and Positioning
Before negotiating, sometimes, even the best negotiators are caught off guard. When that happens to you, back out of the negotiation and regroup. Recently, I purchased a camcorder and found that it did not function properly. Since I bought it from a chain store that was going out of business and there were signs in the store indicating all sales were final, I knew there might be a challenge in returning or exchanging it.

When I entered the store, I went right to the customer service area and informed the clerk of the purchase I’d made of a nonfunctioning camcorder. She told me all sales were final. I exclaimed, “I’m not seeking my money back, I just want a camcorder that works.” After going through two layers of company employees and finally speaking with the store manager, her reply was the same as her subordinate’s: “All sales are final”. I left the store very discouraged and dejected, but not defeated.

I regrouped, developed a plan, and went to a different store of the same chain. This time, I went to the camcorder department and observed the clerks performing their duties. I took note of one individual that appeared to be very pleasant, as he assisted customers. I quietly asked, away from the other patrons, if he could assist me when he had a moment. He said he’d be glad to assist me. Once I had his undivided attention, I asked what his plans were for employment after the store was no longer in business. He told me, he was currently in college and had to find another job to help pay for his tuition. I told him, I had worked my way through college and thought the process helped build character. I also told him I had observed the manner in which he cheerfully assisted customers. I told him he should be proud of the way he did so, because he was building his character.

Then, I asked him to show me how a display model of my camcorder should function. He showed me and pointed out how easy it was to use. I then told him that I had bought the same camcorder less than 24 hours ago from his chain and asked him to operate mine. He did and found it did not operate properly. I asked him what I should do. He said, “You know, all sales are final, but I’ll give you a different camcorder and put yours in the storage room, marked as defective.” I thanked him and was on my way with a new camcorder.

What was the difference between the two situations? In the first scenario, I freely forged forward, relying upon my finesse to win the day. I had not planned for what I might encounter and thus, I had not planned to negotiate.

In the second scenario, I planned every stage of the negotiation and sought the person I felt, based on surveillance and body language that would be most suitable to assist me in obtaining what I sought from the negotiation. Before you enter into a negotiation, if you take the time to position yourself properly, and plan accordingly, you’ll enhance the probability of achieving the goals you set for the negotiation … and everything will be right with the world.

The Negotiation Tips Are …
• No matter how good you are when it comes to negotiating, develop your plan before you negotiate.
• Never discount the value of building rapport with the person/people with whom you’ll be negotiating. By building rapport before you ‘officially’ begin to negotiate, you increase the chance of reaching a successful outcome.
• If you find yourself in a negotiation that you’re not prepared for, disengage. Always remember, he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

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Tags: Negotiation skills

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Business skills, Negotiation skills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.