Negotiation Tips No. 72 Acquisition Effective negotiators are by definition acquisitive people. They collect things during a negotiation and hopefully dont have to give too much away in return. One definition of negotiation is that it concerns the division of scarce resources and if that is the case then whatever the resource is that is scarce a good negotiator will want their fair (or maybe to some people even an unfair) share. A delegate on one of my programmes once accused me of teaching people to be greedy. He believed that there was a fair share in a deal and to ask for more was greedy. My problem with that is the apportionment of a fair amount. Thats clearly a matter of opinion and some of the people opposite me in negotiations have had some very strange opinions of what is fair. So…dont be embarrassed. If you want it, ask for it and go get it.. Youll have to manage the consequences but thats the part that expert negotiators do so well. © Tom Beasor 2001

Sales Tips No. 52 Hot and Sweaty (Prices 1) A colleague in Australia once advised me that I should always try to keep my customers hot and sweaty. That was the way in which theyd want the product and once they really desired it then the price and the objections would disappear. The real issue concerns price. If the customer wants it and youve done a really good job of whetting their appetite then dont spoil the show by mentioning the price. Remember its never too late to delay talking about the price. If youve sold in the benefits and the customer wants it and can just see themselves owning it and using it then the price will not be a problem. Create some tension, create a sense of excitement and let the customer buy it from you at full list price (or maybe even a premium) which you can always sort out at a later date. A price should never get in the way of a well managed sales call. © Tom Beasor 2001

Management Tips No 1 Friends and Enemies One definition of management is that it is the art of keeping those people who hate you away from those who are merely undecided. When you look at how internal politics gets in the way in many organisations you know how true this is. A second definition is that management is about getting things done through other people. Its not about what you do yourself but the way in which you manage the people around you (bosses, subordinates and colleagues) so that you can properly achieve your corporate objectives. Thats a good start. Management is about the best use of resource and Im happy to suggest that people are at the top of the list when it comes to any companys list of unique resources. © Tom Beasor 2001