How to Avoid Offending Germans, Swiss, and Austrians in Negotiations
Germans, Swiss, and Austrians are all people who speak German. Yet international negotiation expert Mihai Isman points out that despite the shared language, each culture negotiates quite differently. For example, the Swiss prefer to avoid conflict in negotiations and are oriented toward harmony. The Swiss excel at extracting the best deals from their opponents without appearing demanding or aggressive. They are confident in their products and services—but they are expensive.... Read more
How to Combat Indecision
According to Matt Dixon’s research, 56% of customers are indecisive about changing the status quo for three reasons: They don’t know what to buy. They’re worried that they might choose poorly and make an irreversible decision. They don’t have enough information and want to do more homework. The customer doesn’t feel like they are assured success. Some customers struggle with multiple pieces of indecision. “I don’t know what to pick”... Read more
Use Your Emotions to Your Advantage
There’s one constant in every negotiation. You. You need to have a deep awareness of how you react to things. How do you stay calm? What do you do if someone screams at you? Part of that is being aware of and noticing when you’re starting to react. As soon as we want something from someone, emotion is engaged. Christine McKay believes that we need to talk about our emotions instead... Read more
Managing Moments Leads to Successful Negotiations
Moshe Cohen has been teaching negotiation and mediation for 27 years. After 11 years working as an engineer, he realized he was more interested in the people side of things. So he went to business school, took a negotiation class, and fell in love. He became a mediator and quickly transitioned into teaching mediation, negotiation, and leadership classes. Throughout the last 27 years, Moshe studied human emotion and how it... Read more
When Overconfidence in Negotiation Goes Terribly Wrong
Is overconfidence detrimental to a negotiation? It’s a psychological bias that’s an important factor—but it’s also confusing. Many executives believe that confident people can achieve more than those who lack confidence. But George Siedel believes that they are confusing decision-making with decision implementation. Decision-making versus decision implementation When you make a decision, it’s important to obtain the views of your peers or subordinates. If you let your overconfidence win and... Read more
4 Proven Benefits Negotiation Training Can Have on Your Business
Negotiation training is among the most critical aspects of doing business. And it’s easy to see why. The modern business world is hyper-competitive, and an increasingly demanding market forces you to be at your best. For this reason, your ability to negotiate is non-negotiable. Serious people will develop this essential skill through mediums such as negotiation courses. And those who are too lazy or indifferent to do so will be... Read more
The Power of Transformational Listening
You wouldn’t go backpacking for three weeks and expect to get to your destination safely without the necessary tools. You need a guide, a tent to sleep in, things to nourish you, etc. Conversations in negotiations are the same. You need to be equipped with the necessary tools to be successful. And according to Christine Miles, questions can interfere with listening, both for the listener and the teller. But asking... Read more
Can You Negotiate Without a Relationship?
Romina Muhametaj is a marketing, sales, and negotiation expert who firmly believes in the power of building relationships to propel one’s career forward. Negotiating without a relationship will only get you so far. She emphasizes that there are three types of sales: Apples, oranges, and coconuts. Which do you prefer? Apples, oranges, or coconuts? 10% of the population are early adopters. They buy because something is new and shiny but... Read more
Storytelling for Introverts
A study done by Stanford found that people remember 22x more information when it’s embedded in a story. So when Matthew Pollard gives a presentation, he invites someone on the stage and asks them to remember three items: chairs, porridge, and their bed. Matthew asks them if they’ll remember those three things one year later. Most people say no. But occasionally, someone will say, “Of course I’ll remember. That’s Goldilocks and the Three... Read more
Why Stories are Powerful in B2B Sales
We often forget about the power of story in B2B sales. It’s because we disconnect the product or service from a person. We feel like we’re selling to a company. But no matter what company someone works for—their name is always on their card. But because we feel that disconnect, we avoid telling stories altogether. It’s a huge mistake. Why? Because stories are the language of the brain. We think... Read more