Negotiation Sails Smoothly When You Cast Bread Crumbs on the Water
       By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
Posted: 2008-01-16 04:52:43
Some people foster the idea that expert negotiators are visibly strategic, uptight, and miserly souls who relish "beating" their counterparts at the bargaining table. The more lopsided the deal they can engineer, the better.Of course, there are some folks that fit this description, but most smooth professionals seldom do.They know when it pays to appear generous.For instance, I signed-up for a real estate review course because my knowledge needs updating, and I'm finding I'm involved in significant transactions. The instructor, a veteran Realtor with decades of local experience and a fine network of connections, offered me the chance to sit in the class for free. I was getting so much from the first session, and noting that there were only a few of us there, I paid her the modest fee she was charging others.Why did I do this when I could have paid absolutely NOTHING? You can't get a better bargain than "free," can you?I know I'm going to call on her in the future to help me in various ways, and if I can set the stage by showing a token of my gratitude for her fine instruction, I know she'll take my calls and gladly assist, down the road. Even a minor tip or insight on her part will be worth, possibly tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to me. That's worth the investment of a few hundred, right now, don't you think?One of my first bosses, a wise Philosophy graduate of the University of Chicago, once told me: "Every deal must stand on its own."He was right, but he should have also said the best deals pay off not only today, but even bigger and better dividends, tomorrow. Looking for the Best Practices in Negotiation or for expert advice on closing an important deal? Contact the author.Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant, and attorney. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,000 articles and several popular audio and video programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he teaches at more than 40 university extension programs, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary's sales, management and consulting experience is combined with impressive academic credentials: A Ph.D. from USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies.His web site is: http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com - His blogs include: YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS! and ALWAYS COLD CALL! at: http://www.alwayscoldcall.blogspot.com
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