September 30th, 2009 by Bruce

There seems to be an incredible amount of material available on how to become a really great negotiator. In most negotiation situations, you have to compromise in some way, and therefore it’s generally the case of “lose some to gain more”. Supposing you had the opportunity to transform negotiating consistently into a “gain more” situation – and stay ahead of the competition, why wait? Read on and receive new insightful charismatic techniques from management training specialists to tilt the bar significantly in your favour.

This endeavour will require that you do a great deal of homework, as you have to find out how to win a battle – without ever walking onto the battlefield!

Find out as much information as you can about the profile of the individual in question as possible. Learn how the person dealt with similar situations previously, and if they’ve engaged in negotiation often, point out to him the ways in which he had failed. This would at least deter him from using those same processes with you. It’s also a smart move to brief your opponent about the possible chance of a “win-win” situation turning into a “win-lose” one, with him being the one on the losing side.

The vast majority of negotiations don’t turn out the way the parties want them to. Generally, negotiating can be a rather time consuming process which is quite strenuous, therefore, in some circumstances it might lead to both parties losing their interest and the motivation to continue. In addition, a lack of interest from either of the parties can rapidly lead to a breakdown, thereby removing any likelihood of an agreement later on. Sometimes, a third party can make out a deal with your suppliers or customers easier than you can, and as there is “no use crying over spilled milk”, why let such a situation ever occur?

Negotiation is certainly not something to run away from, but when it is known that the process won’t help much, it should be held back as a final option. For instance, if negotiation attempts with one of your suppliers or customers have not yielded enough in previous situations – stop negotiating, and try something new. In this kind of situation, one should proceed in a straight forward manner and put forth clear terms. Most business coaching experts agree that this will at the very least save the time and effort which would have been in vain had negotiation otherwise ensued.

Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in supplying Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses around the World. Want to find out more about these comprehensive business building success strategies? Get Alan’s phenomenal FREE Business Pack right now!

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September 29th, 2009 by Bruce

Are negotiations difficult for you? Do you often lay awake during nights where you need to climb out of bed around sunrise to negotiate with clients, dealers or potential leads? Do the majority of your negotiations result in misunderstandings instead of improving your overall business relationships? Have you ever wished that you could just sail through deals without being thought of as unfriendly or controlling? If your reply to the majority of these questions is a resounding YES, then you could really use some assistance, and if you make an effort to keep in mind the following helpful tips, you’ll soon realise that negotiating isn’t tough after all.

In many cases, it’s the variety of expectations, emotions and strategies involved which applies the psychological pressure to the negotiator, which easily can – and often does, drive the endeavour in the wrong direction. Here are some do’s and don’ts from management training for successful friendly negotiations.

Do’s:

a.) Always enter the negotiation room with a mature mindset. Never approach negotiations with an air of overconfidence or seem desperate to close a deal.

b.) Implement a relaxed, confident and honest approach. Always approach the other party with a friendly manner and begin the process by exchanging pleasantries and casual conversation. This will provide both of you with ample time to relax into your groove.

c.) Take care that the negotiation remains a reasonable process. You have the right to put across your point of view, and so does the other person, so don’t try to push him into a corner.

d.) Always give ample time to the other person so he can finish what he has to say, and avoid interrupting or trying to take over the conversation.

e.) Try to follow and understand the negotiating style of the person across the table. If he is polite, be polite. If he is tough, be polite again. The idea is not to have heated debates, but to come to a mutually amicable solution.

f.) Ask questions, but at the same time don’t deny the other person the same liberty. Remember to listen carefully; as this will give you time to think so you can make a productive counter move.

Don’ts:

1.) Do not be bogged down by the image or market standing of the other party. Trust your abilities, and remember that the reputation of an individual is rarely accurate.

2.) Do not let emotions rule the scene – keep them under control. An overplay or underplay of emotions can cause irrational behavior, frustrations and conflict.

3.) Do not forget that you are at the negotiating table to reach the best deal possible for you and your company. Be straight forward, well researched, set goals and have a clear vision in sight.

4.) Do not approach negotiations unprepared. Always prepare a strategy well in advance – but don’t cling to it, just remember to follow the general theme. Circumstances may be different in each instance, and you may need to adopt a flexible plan based on the flow of your current negotiations.

Most business coaching experts agree that the above tips can come in handy when negotiating just about any deal. Negotiations should be thought of as healthy discussions and not as argumentative conversations. Business works on the basis of relationship. In other words, negotiations should help a business earn friends – not enemies. The idea is to not only win the negotiation, but to win the person sitting across the table as well.

Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in providing Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses across the Globe. Want to learn more about these business success strategies? Get Alan’s popular FREE Business Pack today!

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September 27th, 2009 by Bruce

How would you go about putting together a massive puzzle if you were only given the puzzle pieces without the actual picture which indicates what it’s supposed to look like when it’s complete? This is what happens when communication breaks down. In spite of having the required information, you can’t seem to arrive at a useful end result.

In this day and age when everybody is working so much that they have almost no personal time for themselves, brief and clear communication is absolutely essential for discovering the real benefits which can come from anonymity.

Take a moment to consider what it would feel like if you no longer had to repeat the same statements over and over again every day! Imagine if all of your employees got what you said at the drop of a hat! It’s really possible, and the power of management training make effective communication commonplace in your working environment. Letters and words – when carefully chosen, can turn your company round faster than you can imagine. There is no doubt that listening and paying attention to non-verbal gestures constitutes a major part of communication, but why not also endeavour to speak with accuracy – sprinkled with charisma and magic, so that listeners can do nothing but follow and do exactly as you say.

Be as clear in what you say as possible, and don’t leave any guess work for the listener. Any unclear aspects of your conversation stand equal chances of being understood or misunderstood entirely, so even if it’s a supplier you’ve been dealing with for ages, don’t rely on what you think should be “obvious”. The least of what can be done in these situations is to prepare a document that states all of the “understood” parts, which you can then get the other party to agree to – and if possible, sign it as well. Any new clause that you intend to introduce into the existing agreement should be taken to your partner as soon as possible for their own personal consideration, and if there is mutual agreement, include a written statement of the place and time when the new clause comes into effect.

Dealing with internal and external customers also follows a similar plan. Most business coaching experts agree that the employees (internal customers) should be given an exact position which they’re to strive to reach. This should be stated in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Besides this, a career plan for each of them should be clearly charted out and broken down into an unmistakable time-line. Supplement this process with technological solutions to save time when transferring information. Motivate and train your employees to communicate effectively while preparing the reporting hierarchy (i.e. who is to report to whom). This will help them to acquire a broader picture of the organisation and pave the way for long term benefits for your company.

Last – but never the least, always “Keep Your Word”.

Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group. He specialises in delivering Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to International Businesses across the World. Want to discover more about these insightful business building success strategies? Get Alan’s essential FREE Business Pack today!

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September 26th, 2009 by Bruce

It has been widely observed across organisations everywhere that meetings tend to take an inordinately large amount of the available working time of employees – and more often than not, these meetings fail to achieve the necessary ends.

To begin with, we need to recognise the features of a successful meeting. In a “nut shell”, these particular features can be described as being result oriented and limited to a set time period. Let’s take a closer look at some key steps that need to be followed for effectively conducting a business meeting.

1. Preparation – Like any other business activity, advanced preparation is required, as the better prepared you are, the more effective the meeting will be. Besides, this way you will be able to make much more meaningful contributions.

2. Timing – Most business meetings should be conducted according to a specified time period, and they should start and stop at the times indicated. Meetings which are scheduled and task-oriented usually get quite a bit more active participation from everyone present.

3. Agenda – There needs to be an agenda which is readily available that clearly outlines the topics to be discussed in the upcoming meeting. This agenda will give a fair idea of what is to be discussed, thereby enabling all of the participants to prepare in advance for the proposed topics.

4. Focus – It’s important that the focus of the meeting should be maintained steadfastly on the topics which were agreed beforehand – as it is very easy for a meeting to veer off in a different direction, therefore meeting leaders and participants must strive towards minimising the drifts from the set aim.

5. Communication – Complete and accurate information should always be provided in every meeting to ensure effective communication.

6. Agreement – Often during a meeting, the views of two or more people won’t match, but it’s crucial that at the end of the meeting all of the participants agree on a common decision. After all, as anyone invoved in management training knows all to well, this unilateral agreement on a single line of action is the common aim of every meeting.

7. Feedback – A meeting may be successful in achieving the desired result, however there may still be room for improvement in the overall method or implementation. To have a clear idea how effective the meeting was, request feedback from the participants.

8. Confidentiality – The confidential material discussed in the meeting should be restricted to the attendants only, and if possible, measures should be taken to ensure that unauthorised persons can’t access any of the restricted documents or materials.

Finally, at the end of the meeting, most business coaching experts suggest that a brief review should be discussed, covering what was discussed during the meeting as well as any major decisions which were agreed upon.

Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in providing Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses across the Globe. Want to learn more about these business success strategies? Get Alan’s popular FREE Business Pack today!

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September 20th, 2009 by Bruce

The day and age when organisations would endeavour to make customers purchase their products and services is long gone. In our current situation, the sale is just the beginning of a potential long term relationship with each customer. The transition from selling being viewed as an “end” to a “beginning” has been tough for organisations everywhere – but overall, this has resulted in a much better experience for customers.

Once organisations began to discover new ways to keep their businesses growing, they also realised that follow-up and after sales service can be incredibly influential methods for ensuring customer loyalty. Keeping track of customers and performing simple courtesies, like sending a “thank you” or a “birthday card” have become a common exercise. These gestures generally strike a chord with customers and give them a feeling of belongingness. Therefore, it’s no wonder that this particular tactic has become so incredibly successful. So, that’s why the actual sale itself is now seen as the beginning of a potential long term relationship. This is vitally important, because the cost of retaining a customer is considerably less than the expense paid out to acquire a new one.

In management training, individuals learn that companies who view selling as a beginning are the ones truly capable of dominating the market, and those which move along previously established paths – will be inevitably weeded out. Beginning with the sale, organisations rain down benefits on their customers. Besides the obvious advantages for the customers, the organisations get feedback on the services they provide. This can be further applied by incorporating this information into future projects. The “after sales service” is much appreciated by customers, as they tend to see this effort as an act of gratitude. Because of this, customers don’t have to do much homework before buying an item, as they know that their grievances will be addressed properly if the product is faulty. Organisations also benefit from not having to spend money on vague advertising activities in order to attract customers, and now, these companies can be far more definitive with their advertising approach.

Technology and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) have crept into this aspect of advertising. With these systems there are various software applications that help with the maintenance of the huge databases which are updated in “real time” with the developments occurring in the purchase patterns of every customer.

Most business coaching experts agree that the crux of the matter is that selling has to be viewed as a “beginning” and never an “end”, and if intelligently applied, this idea will take any company a very long way toward acquiring a larger piece of the market share.

Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in supplying Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses around the World. Want to find out more about these comprehensive business building success strategies? Get Alan’s phenomenal FREE Business Pack right now!

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