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Casual Articles - Foundations to Success
Trust is the fundamental currency of business. Without trust our economies cannot function. And yet many organisations, teams and individuals struggle with trust. They struggle to gain their customers trust; they fail to develop their employees trust. Without trust stakeholders become cynical, disillusioned and de-motivated. Where they can, they move on. Hopefully to work with others (suppliers and employers) in whom they can trust.How about your organisation? What level of trust do you think you deserve?Here is a short test.Consider how many of the following undermining behaviours are to be found in your organisation;Saying one thing and doing anotherNot following through on commitments Taking credit for another’s work Not sharing information in a timely manner or at all Shooting the messenger Listening with the intent to reply rather than understand Not delegating the best assignments to help develop others Revealing confidences and confidential information about others Showing superficial concern about others Acting like you know somet
Now, if you find yourself not being able to reach your needs, and if there still seems to be a considerable amount of distance between you and the other party, do yourself a favor; get up and leave. Too often, less experienced negotiators continue to negotiate after this point has been reached. If they blindly forge forward, they may reach an agreement but later realize that not even one of their needs were met. Be careful that you don't commit any of the following common negotiation errors:
- Being politically incorrect
- Showing disrespect
- Using any form of miscommunication
- Using the wrong word choice
- Having an irritating style
- Having no or a poor agenda
- Personalizing the negotiation
- Revealing too much information
- Committing cultural blunders
- Becoming emotionally involved
- Desiring to destroy
- Exhibiting perceived cockiness
- Be firm.
- Use silence.
- Stay focused and perceptive.
Most people hate going to meetings. They get tired of wasting time, off-the-topic discussions, and generally not accomplishing much. Each meeting participant bears a certain amount of responsibility in these situations, of course, but the majority of the blame falls squarely on the person charged with running, or facilitating, the meeting.A good chair knows how to make sure the meeting proceeds smoothly, makes the most of the time allowed, and that everyone who participates feels valued and heard.Common mistakes made by most people who run meetings Many people who run meetings have little training. They will make some common mistakes, such as:• Running the meeting in a dictatorial style
• Giving his or her opinion first
• Viewing themselves as "in charge" or "the boss" of the meeting
• Ignoring quiet people or those who don't actively participate
• Focus on the results they want, not the results that the group wantsYou have probably found yourself in meetings where these behaviors are evident and you probably also know that those meetings are not very productive. And perhaps you have even done some of these things yourself when you were running a meeting.The goo
Skills, techniques and personality will never replace the concrete knowledge that can and will only be gleaned by doing your research and homework before the negotiation process begins. The bottom line is that the negotiator with the most knowledge is the most prepared, and that is the type of negotiator who will succeed. The bottom line is, your negotiation success is determined by your preparation.
Before the negotiation begins, you must determine what your needs and interests are. In other words, you must first decide what you want out of the negotiation. Then you must prioritize those needs and wants. The heat of the moment is not the time when you should step back and try to figure out which option you're really pushing for. For example, let's say you have just opened your business. You've submitted a bid to a very large corporate entity and have been invited in for a meeting concerning your bid. You are excited because landing a client like this one will bring great credibility to your new company. You decide beforehand that your greatest needs are to establish more credibility and to increase name recognition. While in the meeting, your prospective client states that if you bring your bid down, you will get his business. The figure he gives you will only allow you to break even, but you recognize the significant benefit of having this client on your reference list. Hence, you lower your price. Going into the meeting, making money was absolutely one of your interests; however, it was not your top priority. You were prepared to handle this situation because you had determined in advance what your number one objective was. By sticking to your plan instead of crumbling under the pressure or emotion of the moment, you have wisely created a way to strengthen your company's credibility and to secure a flow of work in the future.
After you have a concrete idea of what you want to get out of the negotiation, you need to examine the needs and wants of the other party. Put yourself in their moccasins and ask, "What would my needs be if I were in their position?" Besides thinking the negotiation process through on your own, it is strongly advised that you simply ask what your prospects' needs are. Decrease your margin of error by eliminating guesswork. To be a powerful negotiator is to be exact in addressing all angles of the issue. This step is crucial if you ever hope to reach mutually satisfactory agreements. Your prospects' side of the issue needs to bear as much weight in your mind as your side does. Certainly, a demonstrated interest in and knowledge of their perspective, their circumstances and their objectives will get you much farther than a strictly one-sided presentation. Be assured that one-sidedness will only be seen as shortsightedness. How can your prospects collaborate with you if they aren't confident in your ability to see, understand and appreciate their primary objective and goals?
After having thoroughly accounted for the key issues on both sides, it is time to prepare a number of different proposals on how you see the two sides coming together. This is a time where it's important to think creatively. Don't just divide the pie evenly. Rather, seek out ways to expand the pie. What I mean is that you must be prepared to not only fulfill each party's bottom line but also to increase the benefits to all involved. Placing yourself in a position to "over-deliver" is never a bad thing; it will only be met by pleasant surprise. Better still, it is then often followed by cooperation.
After you have devised a few creative alternatives that could possibly satisfy both parties' needs, you are ready to narrow down your list of options. Which agreement is most beneficial and fair to both parties? Establishing a standard of fairness is often a very difficult process for negotiators. That's because each side has their own subjective perception of fairness. In such cases, it is recommended that an independent standard be sought. In other words, what is accepted in the industry? When preparing and doing your homework, look at industry standards, market rates, cost analyses and other neutral indicators that will enable you to establish a standard of fairness during your negotiation process.
After all these exhaustive steps, you might be thinking that in order to come up with the perfect plan, we're now ready for you to charge in there and knock 'em dead-wrong! No matter how brilliant your projections seem, you must set up three alternative negotiation plans. Too often, people go into negotiations with only one alternative in mind. When that alternative is not acceptable to the other party, then the situation really gets sticky. Since the negotiator didn't prepare any other options, s/he is stranded with nowhere to go. Like I mentioned previously, the emotion of the moment is not the time when you want to be making weighty decisions. To prevent yourself from being backed into a corner, be sure to have alternative agreements in mind that will still meet your most important needs, wants and goals.
Equally crucial to the preceding steps is the final negotiation step of mental rehearsal. A wise and skillful negotiator will never enter into a negotiation unrehearsed. It is of prime importance that you have practiced all the likely scenarios you will encounter and that you are prepared to handle any possible turns with skill and finesse. Don't underestimate the power of visualization. Play out the entire meeting from beginning to end. What could happen? What is your opponent's initial perception of you and your offer? What roadblocks could you hit? Can you articulate your opponent's view and concern about the issues at hand? What are your opponent's needs? What has happened in the past? What will your opponent ask for? Will your personalities clash? When you are prepared for negotiation, your stress and fear will subside. You might feel some pressure, but you will not lose control. Going through a pre-negotiation process creates a map for you to follow in any type of terrain you might encounter. Armed with advance preparation, you will overcome any potential obstacles placed in your path. Find a way for all sides to achieve their goals, feel satisfied with the negotiation and find a resolution.
Now, if you find yourself not being able to reach your needs, and if there still seems to be a considerable amount of distance between you and the other party, do yourself a favor; get up and leave. Too often, less experienced negotiators continue to negotiate after this point has been reached. If they blindly forge forward, they may reach an agreement but later realize that not even one of their needs were met. Be careful that you don't commit any of the following common negotiation errors:
- Being politically incorrect
- Showing disrespect
- Using any form of miscommunication
- Using the wrong word choice
- Having an irritating style
- Having no or a poor agenda
- Personalizing the negotiation
- Revealing too much information
- Committing cultural blunders
- Becoming emotionally involved
- Desiring to destroy
- Exhibiting perceived cockiness
- Be firm.
- Use silence.
- Stay focused and perceptive.
- Being politically incorrect
- Showing disrespect
- Using any form of miscommunication
- Using the wrong word choice
- Having an irritating style
- Having no or a poor agenda
- Personalizing the negotiation
- Revealing too much information
- Committing cultural blunders
- Becoming emotionally involved
- Desiring to destroy
- Exhibiting perceived cockiness
The franchise business has been around a long time, in fact they go back as far back as the 1850’s. The notion of selling off a business or a part of a business in order to expand into new areas usually came from the lack of investment funds from the business owner. Through their creativity they were able to keep the business alive by selling franchise opportunities to would-be entrepreneurs.While the business of franchising has grown over the years it all had to start somewhere. The concept of franchise businesses began with none other than the sewing machine manufacturer, Singer.The Singer Franchise Business OpportunityIn the 1850’s the Singer Company produced sewing machines but didn’t have enough capital to actually pay their salesmen salaries. Instead, they created a network of dealers. These first franchise owners paid Singer a fee to work in a particular territory and earned money for each sale of a sewing machine they bought from the company and resold.Their significance in the start of the franchise and the opportunities it created came from the creation of the contract that is still used today between the original business owner and the new entrepreneur. Many feel the contract was whae he gives you will only allow you to break even, but you recognize the significant benefit of having this client on your reference list. Hence, you lower your price. Going into the meeting, making money was absolutely one of your interests; however, it was not your top priority. You were prepared to handle this situation because you had determined in advance what your number one objective was. By sticking to your plan instead of crumbling under the pressure or emotion of the moment, you have wisely created a way to strengthen your company's credibility and to secure a flow of work in the future.
After you have a concrete idea of what you want to get out of the negotiation, you need to examine the needs and wants of the other party. Put yourself in their moccasins and ask, "What would my needs be if I were in their position?" Besides thinking the negotiation process through on your own, it is strongly advised that you simply ask what your prospects' needs are. Decrease your margin of error by eliminating guesswork. To be a powerful negotiator is to be exact in addressing all angles of the issue. This step is crucial if you ever hope to reach mutually satisfactory agreements. Your prospects' side of the issue needs to bear as much weight in your mind as your side does. Certainly, a demonstrated interest in and knowledge of their perspective, their circumstances and their objectives will get you much farther than a strictly one-sided presentation. Be assured that one-sidedness will only be seen as shortsightedness. How can your prospects collaborate with you if they aren't confident in your ability to see, understand and appreciate their primary objective and goals?
After having thoroughly accounted for the key issues on both sides, it is time to prepare a number of different proposals on how you see the two sides coming together. This is a time where it's important to think creatively. Don't just divide the pie evenly. Rather, seek out ways to expand the pie. What I mean is that you must be prepared to not only fulfill each party's bottom line but also to increase the benefits to all involved. Placing yourself in a position to "over-deliver" is never a bad thing; it will only be met by pleasant surprise. Better still, it is then often followed by cooperation.
After you have devised a few creative alternatives that could possibly satisfy both parties' needs, you are ready to narrow down your list of options. Which agreement is most beneficial and fair to both parties? Establishing a standard of fairness is often a very difficult process for negotiators. That's because each side has their own subjective perception of fairness. In such cases, it is recommended that an independent standard be sought. In other words, what is accepted in the industry? When preparing and doing your homework, look at industry standards, market rates, cost analyses and other neutral indicators that will enable you to establish a standard of fairness during your negotiation process.
After all these exhaustive steps, you might be thinking that in order to come up with the perfect plan, we're now ready for you to charge in there and knock 'em dead-wrong! No matter how brilliant your projections seem, you must set up three alternative negotiation plans. Too often, people go into negotiations with only one alternative in mind. When that alternative is not acceptable to the other party, then the situation really gets sticky. Since the negotiator didn't prepare any other options, s/he is stranded with nowhere to go. Like I mentioned previously, the emotion of the moment is not the time when you want to be making weighty decisions. To prevent yourself from being backed into a corner, be sure to have alternative agreements in mind that will still meet your most important needs, wants and goals.
Equally crucial to the preceding steps is the final negotiation step of mental rehearsal. A wise and skillful negotiator will never enter into a negotiation unrehearsed. It is of prime importance that you have practiced all the likely scenarios you will encounter and that you are prepared to handle any possible turns with skill and finesse. Don't underestimate the power of visualization. Play out the entire meeting from beginning to end. What could happen? What is your opponent's initial perception of you and your offer? What roadblocks could you hit? Can you articulate your opponent's view and concern about the issues at hand? What are your opponent's needs? What has happened in the past? What will your opponent ask for? Will your personalities clash? When you are prepared for negotiation, your stress and fear will subside. You might feel some pressure, but you will not lose control. Going through a pre-negotiation process creates a map for you to follow in any type of terrain you might encounter. Armed with advance preparation, you will overcome any potential obstacles placed in your path. Find a way for all sides to achieve their goals, feel satisfied with the negotiation and find a resolution.
Now, if you find yourself not being able to reach your needs, and if there still seems to be a considerable amount of distance between you and the other party, do yourself a favor; get up and leave. Too often, less experienced negotiators continue to negotiate after this point has been reached. If they blindly forge forward, they may reach an agreement but later realize that not even one of their needs were met. Be careful that you don't commit any of the following common negotiation errors:
- Be firm.
- Use silence.
- Stay focused and perceptive.
- Being politically incorrect
- Showing disrespect
- Using any form of miscommunication
- Using the wrong word choice
- Having an irritating style
- Having no or a poor agenda
- Personalizing the negotiation
- Revealing too much information
- Committing cultural blunders
- Becoming emotionally involved
- Desiring to destroy
- Exhibiting perceived cockiness
Growing up in a small town in the early 1980's fundraising was just
a part of being involved in elementary school fundraisers, sports
teams fundraisers and other fundraising activities. I can remember
endless fundraising-a-thons, i.e., walk-a-thon, swim-a-thon,
skate-a-thon etc., and of course there was always chocolate candy
fundraising sales.I can remember there were always the keener kids
who every year blew everyone else in the school out of the
water.now I wonder if their parents worked in huge companies or had
very large families to buy up their entire stock!I asked my parents recently about their feelings toward fundraising
when we were kids and my mom replied, "Oh, it was just another part
of being a parent." My mom said her only concern was sending us
door-to-door; she was not comfortable with the idea.So like every
other parent they did their due-diligence and took the product to
work to pawn off on all of their obliging colleagues, of course with
payback later!Fast forward to the 2000's when attitudes appear to have changed,
parents no longer feel like it is another part of their
responsibilities and kids are not so keen. It seems now that
parents believe someone you if they aren't confident in your ability to see, understand and appreciate their primary objective and goals?
After having thoroughly accounted for the key issues on both sides, it is time to prepare a number of different proposals on how you see the two sides coming together. This is a time where it's important to think creatively. Don't just divide the pie evenly. Rather, seek out ways to expand the pie. What I mean is that you must be prepared to not only fulfill each party's bottom line but also to increase the benefits to all involved. Placing yourself in a position to "over-deliver" is never a bad thing; it will only be met by pleasant surprise. Better still, it is then often followed by cooperation.
After you have devised a few creative alternatives that could possibly satisfy both parties' needs, you are ready to narrow down your list of options. Which agreement is most beneficial and fair to both parties? Establishing a standard of fairness is often a very difficult process for negotiators. That's because each side has their own subjective perception of fairness. In such cases, it is recommended that an independent standard be sought. In other words, what is accepted in the industry? When preparing and doing your homework, look at industry standards, market rates, cost analyses and other neutral indicators that will enable you to establish a standard of fairness during your negotiation process.
After all these exhaustive steps, you might be thinking that in order to come up with the perfect plan, we're now ready for you to charge in there and knock 'em dead-wrong! No matter how brilliant your projections seem, you must set up three alternative negotiation plans. Too often, people go into negotiations with only one alternative in mind. When that alternative is not acceptable to the other party, then the situation really gets sticky. Since the negotiator didn't prepare any other options, s/he is stranded with nowhere to go. Like I mentioned previously, the emotion of the moment is not the time when you want to be making weighty decisions. To prevent yourself from being backed into a corner, be sure to have alternative agreements in mind that will still meet your most important needs, wants and goals.
Equally crucial to the preceding steps is the final negotiation step of mental rehearsal. A wise and skillful negotiator will never enter into a negotiation unrehearsed. It is of prime importance that you have practiced all the likely scenarios you will encounter and that you are prepared to handle any possible turns with skill and finesse. Don't underestimate the power of visualization. Play out the entire meeting from beginning to end. What could happen? What is your opponent's initial perception of you and your offer? What roadblocks could you hit? Can you articulate your opponent's view and concern about the issues at hand? What are your opponent's needs? What has happened in the past? What will your opponent ask for? Will your personalities clash? When you are prepared for negotiation, your stress and fear will subside. You might feel some pressure, but you will not lose control. Going through a pre-negotiation process creates a map for you to follow in any type of terrain you might encounter. Armed with advance preparation, you will overcome any potential obstacles placed in your path. Find a way for all sides to achieve their goals, feel satisfied with the negotiation and find a resolution.
Now, if you find yourself not being able to reach your needs, and if there still seems to be a considerable amount of distance between you and the other party, do yourself a favor; get up and leave. Too often, less experienced negotiators continue to negotiate after this point has been reached. If they blindly forge forward, they may reach an agreement but later realize that not even one of their needs were met. Be careful that you don't commit any of the following common negotiation errors:
- Be firm.
- Use silence.
- Stay focused and perceptive.
- Being politically incorrect
- Showing disrespect
- Using any form of miscommunication
- Using the wrong word choice
- Having an irritating style
- Having no or a poor agenda
- Personalizing the negotiation
- Revealing too much information
- Committing cultural blunders
- Becoming emotionally involved
- Desiring to destroy
- Exhibiting perceived cockiness
Buying a Franchise is a complicated business investment. Generally the way most franchising agreements stand in modern day business you are leasing a business rather than buying one for a specific term.Most consumer awareness websites and even the government regulatory bodies recommend before taking the plunge and buying a franchise that you have a Franchising attorney look over the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular or UFOC. This is the required disclosure document that franchisees must be given 10-days prior to the sale.Some of the terms and conditions of a UFOC may seem rather onerous and yet these clauses and terms more often than not allow the Franchisor to maintain consistency, quality and brand name of all the franchised outlets and are indeed necessary. Nevertheless there are some adverse clauses, which can be hurtful to franchisees if a dispute arises or a default in the franchise occurs. It is important that you understand this going into the agreement.Never lie on a franchise application, indeed over 50% of the franchise application we had received online, via fax or mailed to us included lies from franchise buyers. If a dispute ever does arise this can come back to bite you, so tell the tto charge in there and knock 'em dead-wrong! No matter how brilliant your projections seem, you must set up three alternative negotiation plans. Too often, people go into negotiations with only one alternative in mind. When that alternative is not acceptable to the other party, then the situation really gets sticky. Since the negotiator didn't prepare any other options, s/he is stranded with nowhere to go. Like I mentioned previously, the emotion of the moment is not the time when you want to be making weighty decisions. To prevent yourself from being backed into a corner, be sure to have alternative agreements in mind that will still meet your most important needs, wants and goals.
Equally crucial to the preceding steps is the final negotiation step of mental rehearsal. A wise and skillful negotiator will never enter into a negotiation unrehearsed. It is of prime importance that you have practiced all the likely scenarios you will encounter and that you are prepared to handle any possible turns with skill and finesse. Don't underestimate the power of visualization. Play out the entire meeting from beginning to end. What could happen? What is your opponent's initial perception of you and your offer? What roadblocks could you hit? Can you articulate your opponent's view and concern about the issues at hand? What are your opponent's needs? What has happened in the past? What will your opponent ask for? Will your personalities clash? When you are prepared for negotiation, your stress and fear will subside. You might feel some pressure, but you will not lose control. Going through a pre-negotiation process creates a map for you to follow in any type of terrain you might encounter. Armed with advance preparation, you will overcome any potential obstacles placed in your path. Find a way for all sides to achieve their goals, feel satisfied with the negotiation and find a resolution.
Now, if you find yourself not being able to reach your needs, and if there still seems to be a considerable amount of distance between you and the other party, do yourself a favor; get up and leave. Too often, less experienced negotiators continue to negotiate after this point has been reached. If they blindly forge forward, they may reach an agreement but later realize that not even one of their needs were met. Be careful that you don't commit any of the following common negotiation errors:
- Be firm.
- Use silence.
- Stay focused and perceptive.
- Being politically incorrect
- Showing disrespect
- Using any form of miscommunication
- Using the wrong word choice
- Having an irritating style
- Having no or a poor agenda
- Personalizing the negotiation
- Revealing too much information
- Committing cultural blunders
- Becoming emotionally involved
- Desiring to destroy
- Exhibiting perceived cockiness
These days, all successful businesses require a website or internet presence in order to grow to their maximum potential. To the millions of potential customers searching the internet everyday, those businesses without a website, put simply: Do Not Exist. And of those which do have a website, research shows that over 90% of them are so poorly designed that they provide little or no income or benefit to the company. Similarly, the best looking site in the world will not generate business for you if it doesn't receive visitors. As a result, it behooves small business owners to consider their company's internet footprint if they desire a piece of this ever growing consumer marketplace. What's required is a website which ranks high on internet search engines like Google, Yahoo or MSN: these websites will get the largest slice of the business pie.Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a website marketing process implemented to increase a site’s visibility, and as a result its Keyword Ranking (Google ranking, Yahoo ranking, MSN ranking, etc.). It involves regular alterations to your website, reassessing and selecting keywords that will generate targeted traffic, continually researching search engine algorithms and policies,essure, but you will not lose control. Going through a pre-negotiation process creates a map for you to follow in any type of terrain you might encounter. Armed with advance preparation, you will overcome any potential obstacles placed in your path. Find a way for all sides to achieve their goals, feel satisfied with the negotiation and find a resolution.
Now, if you find yourself not being able to reach your needs, and if there still seems to be a considerable amount of distance between you and the other party, do yourself a favor; get up and leave. Too often, less experienced negotiators continue to negotiate after this point has been reached. If they blindly forge forward, they may reach an agreement but later realize that not even one of their needs were met. Be careful that you don't commit any of the following common negotiation errors:
- Be firm.
- Use silence.
- Stay focused and perceptive.
- Be attentive.
- Don't rush the negotiation.
- Have plenty of energy.
- Know that it is OK to lose a few battles to win the war.
- Avoid unnecessary humor.
- Get plenty of sleep.
Everyone persuades for a living. There's no way around it. Whether you're a sales professional, an entrepreneur, or even a stay at home parent, if you are unable to convince others to your way of thinking, you will be constantly left behind. Get your free reports at Magnetic Persuasion to make sure that you are not left watching others pass you on the road to success. Donald Trump said it best, "Study the art of persuasion. Practice it. Develop an understanding of its profound value across all aspects of life."
Summary
Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.
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