“I just want what’s fair and reasonable,” a friend said in the midst of his divorce. “That’s not too much to ask, is it?” “Of course not,” I replied. “The key here, though, is how to determine what’s fair and reasonable. I suspect you have a very different perception...
Consider this quote from a recent New York Times article about Derek Jeter playing in the last year of his 10-year, $189 million contract: “Per team policy, the Yankees do not negotiate contract extensions during the season.” Jeter, one of the best...
There’s one main negotiation reason procurement professionals/buyers send out Requests for Proposals (RFPs) – to create leverage by developing better Plan Bs to their Plan A (which is not buying or just sticking with its incumbent). Of course, sellers also seek...
Years ago, a potential client asked me to help him negotiate and sell some commercial real estate in Phoenix. After he agreed to my fee, I sent him my standard two-page consulting contract to review and sign. Several days later, he suggested we just do this on a...
If you believe I have a better Plan B than doing a deal with you and can easily walk away from the table, then you will act accordingly. You will also be more likely to respond with a very aggressive counter if you believe my initial move was outrageous. And if you...
“Here’s the problem,” this consulting client in procurement told me years ago. “We’ve worked with this software company for a long time and our internal clients are pretty satisfied. But its fee just skyrocketed and it’s being really stubborn – no concessions at all....
I sold children’s shoes in high school at Dayton’s Department Store, and we took everything back – no questions asked. The shoes could have been worn for a day or a year. Dayton’s policy was clear: the customer is always right on returns Of course, some took advantage...
When I practiced law in the mid-1990s, my law firm sent out its new fee rates every January. And our clients basically just said “ok.” Our rates would go up a bit each year, and it was generally viewed as no big deal. With the incredibly competitive marketplace these...
I remember taking a labor history course in college years ago that opened my eyes to the hostile and contentious record of union-management negotiations going back to the advent and growth of unions in the late 19th and early 20th century. Violence was not that...
