Powder Coated Tough - Fall/Winter 2007 - (Page 48) TOUGH TALK Six Ways to Get the Most out of Your Negotiating Team B Y T O M PA R K E R T 1. eams can be a big help or a giant waste of time when it comes to negotiations. If you follow a few simple rules, you can be sure to get the most out of your team. Every team needs a leader. The team leader should be the person with the most knowledge of the other side, not necessarily the most senior member of the team. It is his or her job to set the agenda and lay out what is going to be negotiated and what your strategy is going to be. The team leader is also responsible for finding out who will be attending from the other side. Every team member has a role. Once you know who will be representing the other side, it is important to try and balance subject matter experts (SMEs) and job titles for your own team. For example, if you know that they are bringing a logistics expert; you had better have someone on your team that can handle logistical issues. Similarly, if you know that they will have senior management at the table, then it is advisable (though not always possible) to bring your own executives in order to be able to discuss big picture issues. Once you have put your team together, each member must understand clearly which topics they are there to handle. The last thing that you need is your process engineer chiming in on pricing discussions. 3. Don’t overdo it. Bringing too many people sends the wrong message about your company. As a general rule, you want to have an equal number of people on both sides of the table. If this isn’t possible, try not to outnumber them by more than one. Plan together. Everyone on your team should be a part of the planning process so that they know what strategies you will use, what the pricing moves will look like, which items are and aren’t negotiable, etc. Team Seating. If possible, don’t line your team up on one side of the table directly opposite the other side’s team. There are two problems with this approach. First of all, the “us vs. them” seating chart sets an adversarial tone. Second, and equally important, you can’t see your own team members if you are lined up in a row. Communicating with your team, verbally and non-verbally is important during a negotiation and you need to be able to see them in order to communicate effectively. Team Signals. We’ve all been in meetings where someone ventured into forbidden territory and got 4. 5. 2. a swift kick under the table. While this may be an effective way to shut someone up, it is not an elegant solution to the problem. We recommend that you work out a few very simple signals with your team in advance of the meeting. You don’t want to have a bunch of signals because then you may look like Don Zimmer putting on a suicide squeeze play. Usually, all you need are: (1) Shut up, (2) We need to take a break so wind up what you are saying and don’t start a new topic, and (3) Turn the discussion back over to me (the team leader). There are a number of ways to communicate these signals. We recommend a signal pen. The signal pen is just an extra writing instrument that the team leader puts on the table where his team can see it. If he puts it in his pocket, for instance, that could be the “Let’s take a break” signal. People are expensive and you owe it to your company to get the most out of your teams. Following these rules will ensure that you use your human resources effectively. 6. Tom Parker is a vice president of Alongside Management, Richmond, Va. He can be reached at 804-935-0835, via e-mail at parker@myyukon.com, or visit www.alongside.com. 48 Powder Coated Tough http://www.alongside.com
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