Negotiating tips from Alan Weiss

Posted on January 31, 2005 by Ed

One of the best consultants I've ever had the pleasure of learning from has put together several tips on negotiating:

- Start from a very strong position and work your way down from there. Surprisingly, your strong position may be accepted as is. That applies to payment terms, fee levels, etc.
- Understand your "musts" and don't sacrifice them for mere "wants." Give in on the discretionary things, fight to the finish on the critical things.
- Listen more than you talk. Don't attempt to fill silences.
- Try not to go one-on-ten. Negotiate with one person, not a team if at all possible. Otherwise, you'll have a roomful of people trying to impress each other at your expense.
- Don't burn bridges. This is business, don't take it personally. Neither gloat nor pout, do not celebrate or seek revenge. Move on.

Suggested Reading: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

© Alan Weiss, 2005 All rights reserved.

Tags:
Trackbacks (0) Links to blogs that reference this article Trackback URL
http://www.lawbizblog.com/admin/trackback/36770
Comments (0) Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
Post A Comment / Question Use this form to add a comment to this entry.







Remember personal info?
Send To A Friend Use this form to send this entry to a friend via email.