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11 Commandments For Smart Negotiating

1 – BE PREPARED.

The more information you have about your market value and the
prospective employer, the greater your likelihood of success. This
is the first commandment because it’s the most important. There’s a
wealth of information available on the Internet, at the public library
and through professional associations and networking groups. Time
spent learning how to negotiate and preparing for negotiations may be
the best investment you’ll ever make.

2 – RECOGNIZE THAT EMPLOYMENT NEGOTIATIONS ARE DIFFERENT.

When the negotiations are over, you’ll have to work with the person
with whom you’re negotiating. Moreover, your future success may depend
on that person. So, while you want to negotiate the best possible
deal, you need to do so in a way that doesn’t damage your image. At
the same time, the employer’s primary concern isn’t negotiating the
least expensive compensation package it can get away with. Rather,
their focus will be on getting you to accept the job.

3 – UNDERSTAND YOUR NEEDS AND THOSE OF THE EMPLOYER.

To be successful in this type of negotiation, you need to examine your
priorities. What do you really want? Are you comfortable with a low
salary and a large equity stake? Are you able to handle dramatic
swings in income from year to year? Understanding your needs will also
help you determine the type of company you want to work for. For
example, a family-owned company may be able to offer a competitive
salary and a large bonus based on results, but may not be willing to
offer significant equity to a non-family member. A start-up company,
on the other hand, may not be able to offer market salary, but will
typically offer stock options. By recognizing what an employer can and
can’t do, you’ll be able to determine what issues you should press.

4 – UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS OF THE PARTICULAR NEGOTIATIONS.

Sometimes you’ll have skills that are in great demand. And sometimes,
you may be one of several qualified candidates the company would be
happy to hire. Sizing up the situation and understanding the relative
position of each party will help you determine when to press your
advantage and when to back off.

5 – NEVER LIE, BUT USE THE TRUTH TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

It’s not only wrong to lie, but in employment negotiations, it’s
ineffective. If you lie during negotiations, sooner or later you’re
likely to be caught. Once you are, even if you don’t lose the offer,
you’ll be at a tremendous disadvantage, and your credibility will
always be suspect. On the other hand, total candor wont be rewarded.
You’re under no obligation to blurt out everything you know. You can
determine what you want to say and how you want to say it, and try to
put everything in its most positive light. One key element of your
preparation should be to recognize areas of concern so you can
rehearse how to handle them when they inevitably come up.

6 – UNDERSTAND THE ROLE FAIRNESS PLAYS IN THE PROCESS.

The guiding principle for most employers when negotiating is fairness.
Within the constraints of their budget and organizational structure,
employers usually will agree to anything that’s fair and reasonable to
hire someone they want. Appeals to fairness are your most powerful
weapon. Thus, you should be able to justify every request you make in
terms of fairness. For example, if other computer programmers in
similar companies are being given sign-on bonuses, you should expect
to be treated no differently. Your prospective employer will want you
to accept it’s offer and feel that you’ve been treated fairly.
Understanding the importance of fairness as a negotiating principle
can make the difference between success and failure.

7 – USE UNCERTAINTY TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

The more information you convey to a potential employer about your
bottom line, the more likely it will limit what you get. Before making
an offer, a company typically tries to determine what it will take for
you to accept the position. With that information, the prospective
employer will be able to determine the minimum package it needs to
offer. While they may not offer you as little as they can get away
with, if you’ve divulged too much information, they likely wont offer
you as much as they might have otherwise. By not disclosing exactly
what your current compensation is or exactly what it would take to get
you to leave your job, you’ll force a potential employer to make it’s
best offer.

8 – BE CREATIVE.

Consider the value of the total package. Look for different ways to
achieve your objectives. Be willing to make tradeoffs to increase the
total value of the deal. If you’re creative, you can package what you
want in ways that will be acceptable to the company. You’ll also be
able to find creative “trades” that allow you to withdraw requests
that might be problematic to the company in return for improvements in
areas where the company has more flexibility. That way, you can
maximize the value of the package you negotiate.

9 – FOCUS ON YOUR GOALS, NOT WINNING.

Too often in negotiations, the act of winning becomes more important
than achieving your goals. And it’s also important not to make your
future boss feel as if he’s lost in the negotiations. You’ll have
gained little by negotiating a good deal if you alienate your future
boss in the process.

10 – KNOW WHEN TO QUIT BARGAINING.

The one sure way to lose everything you’ve obtained is to be greedy.
There comes a point in every negotiation when you’ve achieved
everything you could have reasonably expected to gain. While most
companies will want to treat you fairly and make you happy, few
companies want a to hire a prima donna. Being perceived as greedy or
unreasonable may cause the deal to fall apart. Even if it doesn’t,
you’ll have done immeasurable harm to your career. This brings us to
the 11th and most important commandment:

11 – NEVER FORGET THAT EMPLOYMENT IS AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP.

Job negotiations are the starting point for your career with a
company. Get too little and you’re disadvantaged throughout your
career there; push too hard and you can sour the relationship before
it begins.

Understanding these principles will allow you to effectively negotiate
the terms of your new job. Then do your job well and continually seek
out new challenges. As you take on added responsibilities and learn
new skills, there will be opportunities to negotiate further
improvements.

This article can also be read directly at: http://www.worktree.com/newsletter/salary-negotiation-tips.html

Sincerely,

Nathan Newberger

Managing Editor

http://www.WorkTree.com

“Helping You Find More Jobs Faster”

It is pretty hard to find anything traditional with the internet as it has really only been in common use for about 13 years. However, there are certain sales traditions that the old door to door salesman would use to increase their chances of a sale. A quick presentation and throw in some wow this works great, close the sale and off to the next home.

Some of you may even remember the door to door salesman, this was basically doing a cold call door to door through out a neighborhood day after day. The profitable ones would get repeat calls and referrals because of a good presentation, communication wasn’t an expectation or option due to the lack of technology. Remember there were no cell phones, email, websites etc…

Now the customer has the advantage through information, as they no longer have to take the word of the salesman in their house with the quick home presentation. Now they can look at something and simply type the product or service into Google and get all the feedback they need to decide if it’s what they want.

Don’t get me wrong, presentation is still important, but trust and communication are more important. With the technology we have in place, the customer should be given plenty of options within your presentation to reach you and ask questions because good communication can repair a bad presentation. Ultimately the goal is to have both, but how would you know you have a good presentation if there is no communication?

Have you ever employed the initial appearance of weakness as a tactic in a negotiation? It can be a great way to gather valuable information. When the other negotiator sees you in a weakened position, that’s the time when you can turn your perceived weakness into a source of power. Observe the following to do so.

The Opening – setting the stage:

To set yourself up to be perceived as weak, consider the following strategies.

• At the opening of the negotiation, offer a weak handshake; this positioning is enhanced by allowing your hand to be on the bottom of the handshake (i.e. the other negotiator’s hand on top of yours). That will subliminally signal subjugation on your part.
• Project a sense of slowness to grasp points. Don’t overplay your hand. Remember, you’re playing the role of someone that’s not sure of himself.
• Allow yourself to be maneuvered by making concessions quickly when doing so is not detrimental to your position.
• Refer to having to consult a higher authority when pushed too hard for a concession; that’ll convey a sense of powerlessness.
• While engaging in the processes above, seek to uncover the other negotiator’s source(s) of power. You can use that as leverage against him later in the negotiation.

Mid Game – the turn:

This is the point at which your demeanor transformation begins.

• Know the strength of your resources compared to your opponent. That will be your source of power. It can be used as leverage during the negotiation to thwart his efforts.
• During the negotiation, be prepared to refer to a higher authority that trumpets the other negotiator (e.g. him – we reached a multimillion-dollar deal with company x last year, you – we know that and they’re talking with us this year; I guess they didn’t like the results of your deal.)
• Create a false sense of value with red herrings as chits that you can trade later for items and concessions of importance.

End Game – the closing:

This is the time you employ tactics that display, you’re no longer a weakling.

• Begin to use the red herrings you set up in the prior phase to enhance your negotiation position. Be stubbornly diligent when making concessions at this point. Your efforts should send a subliminal message that indicates, you’re going to be a tough negotiator from this point on.
• Once you’ve engaged in the strategies above, be cautious. You will have transformed yourself from the weakling you initially appeared to be into a titan. The other negotiator will realize that he’s dealing with someone that’s more astute than he originally thought. That will cause him to raise his guard. He’ll also be seeking ways to adjust his negotiation strategies to match his new reality.

The timeframe and phases mentioned above still have to be accompanied with the negotiation strategies that are appropriate for the type of negotiation you’re in. Thus, the outline above should serve as a foundation to which you can add more specifics steps to fit your situation. By using this outline, you’ll be well on your way to creating a roadmap that leads to more successful negotiation outcomes… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!