You’re at your desk around 9:30 a.m. looking at your overwhelming “To Do” list, your stacked-up “In” box and wondering if your bonus – for once – will reflect your true value. Then the phone rings. It’s Bob, a potential strategic partner, calling to...
Here’s how it usually goes down. The prisoner is sitting alone in a locked room when two police officers enter. One’s the good cop. The other’s the bad cop. It’s a common negotiation tactic. Officer Toughguy starts by banging his hand on the table and pointing out –...
A lawyer recently hired me to help negotiate the settlement of a very large lawsuit. After spending several hours discussing the negotiation, I inwardly groaned. My client, while a successful lawyer, had unwittingly made a major strategic error in the negotiation....
I listed my house in 2003 at an aggressive price. I had been tracking the sales of comparable homes for eight years and had a good idea of what I could get. But you never know. So in setting my goal and determining my list price, I also asked two experts for advice:...
The telephone rang and caller ID showed a number starting with zeros. He was calling from South America and wanted to purchase the rights to something I owned. I was intrigued. The call was undoubtedly pricey, so I figured he must be serious. He was. The opening...
The vast majority of business professionals and lawyers acknowledge the value of strategic planning. “Of course strategic planning makes sense,” they admit. “We do it all the time, especially in setting our goals.” Yet many of these same...
Let’s say you’re driving to work, your cell rings, and it’s your negotiation counterpart. You answer the phone. Before you say a word, who has the advantage? Your counterpart. Why? No matter how bright you are or how good you are on your feet, you’re probably not...
“I don’t have time to plan for my negotiations.” “Too many unknown variables exist to plan for our negotiations.” “We’ll plan – but in our heads. Formal planning would be superfluous and wasteful.” “My colleagues are bright, experienced and have great instincts....
In 1979, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware was heading to Moscow when the Senate leadership asked him to meet with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and negotiate an amendment to the SALT II arms-control treaty. Biden was told the Senate would not ratify the treaty...
