Negotiation: Every Move Counts

I have conducted my first interview for my blog! For my interviewee, I chose a former classmate of mines. His name is Isaac Hughley. Isaac and I are both from South Bend, IN and attended the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN. Isaac works in Sales at Verizon Wireless during the day, and by night he is a Music Coach/Producer, Author, and Internet Marketer for Isaac Hughley Enterprises. I recently discussed the important of negotiation in the business world with Isaac.

JILLIAN: How important do you think it is to learn negotiation techniques?

ISAAC: Negotiation is essential, especially in my line of work. As a salesman, I am always looking for ways to provide value for customers while providing income for myself. The same applies in my endeavors as a business owner. If my customer doesn't find value in what I'm offering, it's not likely that they'll continue doing business with me.

JILLIAN; How do you separate the people from the problems when negotiating?

ISAAC: When it comes to separating people from problems, I work to not let my emotions become involved. Business is business. If you let your emotions become involved in a transaction things can get ugly quickly. I look for a mutually beneficial compromise and present an appropriate solution. If that solution doesn't fit my customer, then I work with them toward a resolution even if I cannot provide it to them directly.

JILLIAN: Do you believe you are more of a soft (i.e.goal is agreement, change position easily)

 or hard (i.e. goal is victory, distrust people) positional bargainer?

ISAAC: In terms of positional bargaining, I believe I fall somewhere in the middle between hard and soft. In general I would probably lean toward being a soft positional bargainer, but in some instances hard negotiation is necessary; it varies per the situation.

JILLIAN: Can you give me an example of how you worked towards a mutual benefit for both parties?

ISAAC: I was recently approached by a client to develop a website. I set up an initial conference call with myself, the client and my business partner to discuss the details. We presented the client with our estimated time for completion, details on the services that'd be provided, and the sale price.
The client took a few day to discuss this information with his business team. After discussing the info, the client contacted me and agreed to the price. I had an invoice sent over to the client for service and received payment. My business partner and I then began work on the website design. Once completed, we verified that everything was satisfactory for the client. At that point our business was complete.
In this situation, the client saw value in a website for his business. My partner and I saw monetary value in the work we'd complete to develop the site. Our goal was to find a price point that would fairly compensate us for our time and give the client what he was looking for in his site

JILLIAN: Do you have specific tactics that you always follow when negotiating?

ISAAC: a. Discover- Know who you're dealing with: Understand your customer

b. Connect - Find some common ground with the other party

c. Recommend - Provide a solution that compensates you fairly but also provides value for the client

d. Close - Close the sale quickly and deliver the value to the customer

e. Follow up - self explanatory; Also may lead to residual business/other income opportunities

JILLIAN: Do you find yourself negotiating more with people inside your business or new people on the outside?

ISAAC: I would say I negotiate more with people inside my business than outside.

JILLIAN: How do you handle your emotions when negotiating?

ISAAC: I leave my emotions out of business transactions. Business is business.

JILLIAN: I like that. Very direct and to the point. Have you dealt with much conflict when negotiating?

ISAAC: There will inevitably be some conflict during the negotiation process. Some people may gain more while other receive the short end of the stick, but ultimately you want to work toward a mutually beneficial agreement that will build a long term business relationship.

JILLIAN: What advice would you give to people to successfully negotiate a deal?

ISAAC: Don't bring your emotions to the business table. Work toward a mutual benefit so that all parties involved can feel like they've gained something valuable. Don't be a afraid of conflict; work through it.

Thank you Isaac for taking the time to answer my questions about your negotiation experiences and techniques. Hopefully others will get something out of this interview about negotiation practices because I know I did!