Manager Hot Seat - Analyzing Negotiation Video

Negotiation

Negotiating can be a very tricky thing. It is important to remember that it isn't a screaming match. It is also important to remember that negotiating isn't personal, it is business, its about focusing on the issues at hand and not the people you are negotiating for. I feel that putting that aside is the first steps to a good negotiation. In the next few paragraphs we will be discussing Alisa Jackson's negotiation with Katherine Knudsen and how it could have gone differently. I feel that if Alisa would have followed a few simple rules the negotiation would have gone a lot smoother and more successful.

When entering a negotiation it is very important to plan out what exactly you are going to be negotiating. An important thing to consider that the person you are negotiating with may counter your initial offer, so you also need to plan for them to say no and plan where you are going to go from there. You will be nowhere if you do not plan out exactly what you are negotiating. Having complete knowledge of the company is also very important. You want to make sure that you know every aspect of the company so that you can bring up that information in your offers. You don't want to leave anything on the table and possibly lose the deal because you didn't have all of the knowledge.

When negotiating it is also important to leave your emotions out of the scenario. Yes, you are very passionate about the topic but you have to think with your head and not with your heart. When you leave your emotions out of it allows you to stay focused on the topic at hand rather than your feelings being hurt. Also, coming to an agreement should be your main priority, going round and round will get you know where. Come in with your initial offer, use your knowledge of the Company to persuade them the pros of your deal and you come to a consensuses that you both can agree on.

Based on the text above on what a successful negotiation should look like, I feel that negotiation with Alisa and Katherine didn't go very well. It seemed as if Alisa was unprepared, she lacked knowledge of the company. Alisa went in asking for a 7.5% wage increase and was turned down immediately no questions asked. But what Alisa failed to do is to plan for the "NO", she had nowhere to go after that and was stuck with her goal unreached. Initially Alisa had no knowledge of what the entry level, manager or executives make annually, she has no knowledge of what extra income if any they are taking home annually. All of that information would have been great to counter Katherine after she said no.

I feel that Alisa lost focus during the second meeting, Alisa received information via email from a friend that the company's executives where receiving a large sum of money for annual bonuses. Where