BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL
career coach
Top 10 Ways
To Negotiate
A Good Deal
1,
1
ecently, a client called me
with a dilemma; some of
his sales people had been
having trouble closing
transactions and he needed some
assistance helping them
improve their negotiating
skills.
R
I met with some of the
sales staff and immedi-
ately realized the chal-
lenge ahead of this com-
pany. The staff had lost its
focus. They were not pay-
ing attention to the basic
142 SOUTH OLD WOODWARD AVENUE -• BIRMINGHAM - 248.647.4555
24545 WEST 12 MILE ROAD - SOUTHFIELD - 248.948.9100
rules of negotiating a sale
of any kind. Instead, they
were caught up in nega-
6635 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD - WEST BLOOMFIELD - 248.855.0300
CIGAR BAR • MON-WED I0
THURS-SAT IOAM-I:30AM SUN I2PM-I2AM
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1579760
tive gloom-and-doom talk
about the economy and it was bring-
ing everyone down.
As a result, they stopped look-
ing for new opportunities and nixed
potential deals that could have come
to fruition. When they had opportu-
nities to sell, they were making big
Can't get to first base
with the big
mortgage franchises?
, .
Don't get hit by a curve ball.
30201 Orchard Lake Rd, Ste. 165
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 737-0300
21211 Haggerty Rd.
Novi, MI 48375
(248) 380-6590
lf)
1581660
details with someone who needs to
get approval first from someone else.
• Do not accept a proposal immedi-
32
11
/11
who come into the process
late. You should only do business
with people who want to be at the
table with you. Perhaps being late,
missing deadlines, etc., is someone's
way of botching the deal.
• If there is benefit to all parties
overheard by nosy outsiders.
• Allow the other side to talk first.
The first offer might be better than
you had anticipated.
on a level playing field. Only negoti-
ate with decision makers. You don't
want to be in a room working out
28345 Beck Rd, Ste. 102
Wixom, MI 48393
(248) 468-0205
gle room in any contract, in
any negotiation.
• Be cautious of those
company, like many others, needed a
"back to basics" lesson on the art of
negotiating.
while others have a simple desire to
be liked, respected or are greedy.
• Make sure you are negotiating
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stone. Everything has a
price. Assume there is wig-
matters. Negotiate all matters in a
private setting where you cannot be
players before you begin negotiating.
Some of us are motivated by fear,
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a good deal. It has to be
right for you.
• Everything is nego-
tiable. Do not ever believe
that the last offer is cut in
Sales started to plunge; they
needed a big wake-up call. This
involved in the negotiating session.
Information is a powerful tool, and far
more reliable than instincts. Rehearse.
• Know what motivates the other
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sales contract or anything
else just because it can
be done or it seems to be
involved in any business transaction,
a deal can always be made.
• Be discreet. Starbucks is not
the place to discuss your business
any meeting. Do your homework.
Research every person who is
CO
not seem right. You don't have to
get involved in a business venture,
mistakes like accepting offers imme-
diately, whether or not the company
could make any profits.
Here is my Top 10 list to negotiate
your way to a good deal:
• Always be prepared before
Call Matt at 248-737-3152 for a
mortgage solution from your Home Team.
how much you trust the person on the
other end of the negotiating table.
• It is okay to say no if yes does
ately; take it home with you and read
it, then read it again and then run it
by someone else. Do this no matter
how good a deal sounds, no matter
In the end, we all want to negoti-
ate with someone who will say yes to
whatever we are asking for: a raise
from the boss, a contract for work or
an order for a product line. We negoti-
ate to persuade the other person to
agree to what we want, on our terms.
It doesn't always work out the way
we want because we are all moti-
vated by different things; however,
if you brush up on your negotiating
techniques, and you play fair and
you treat people nicely in the pro-
cess, you are more likely to get the
big win. If you get stuck, seek out-
side help from a professional media-
tor, litigation attorney or business
coach.
Robert Sher, CPA, is a certified executive
coach. He is former CFO for Schostak
Brothers & Company, Livonia. His e-mail
address is: info@bobshercom.