This issue contains 5 Ways to Clean Up Sloppy Copy, Effective Use of Promotional Products and Part 3 of our Negotiation to Win series. Part 3 covers specific tactics.
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In Negotiating to Win Part 2 we discussed the six types of negotiating power, the differences between negotiation strength and negation power and body language. In this section we will discuss specific negotiation tactics to increase your negotiation power, strength and improve your abilities.
It is important to be familiar with the key negotiation tactics are outlined below:
1. LYING - Do not lie, instead... "stretch the truth," "exaggerate," "withhold information" or "play dumb." Be prepared to suffer the consequences for your actions and statements. One lie often begets another.
2. FIRST OFFERS - NEVER ACCEPT ONE! Initial offers are intentionally inflated to leave room to negotiate. Make sure you always go one extra round in any negotiation even if you think the other party will not move.
3. PROMISES - Never make offers or promises you cannot live up to. Your long-term credibility will be destroyed. Over deliver on your promises whenever possible; it can increase your power the next time you negotiate with the same party.
4. SMALL STEPS - It is very difficult to find a common ground, win-win compromise in one step. Take several small steps in a negotiation, always keeping in mind your ultimate goal. Break down the situation into smaller components and work on each one.
5. THE BIG PICTURE - Negotiations often hinge on one major item and a lot of smaller, less important items. Attack the smaller issues first in order to get both sides saying "yes." Once both sides are agreeing, it will be easier to deal with the larger issue at hand.
6. HIGHER AUTHORITY - Have someone in the background (not part of the negotiation) who must give final approval of any deal you make. Use this higher authority to stall if you are stuck or to gain more concessions at a later date.
7. GOOD COP / BAD COP - Have one person "out for blood" and the other friendly to the cause of the opponent. This allows someone on your team (the good cop) to play peacemaker and try to bring the sides together.
8. PLAY DUMB - disarm your opponent by appearing not to know what they are talking about. This can often soften a hostile opponent or catch them off guard. Additionally it can cause your opponent to take you lightly, leaving them open for attack.
9. STRIKE QUICKLY - The values of a concession you make diminish soon after it is made. Always ask for something in return for your concession IMMEDIATELY. If you wait, your initial concession will not seem as important to your opponent.
10. TIME PRESSURE - Use time to your advantage. Shorten the timetable to force a decision by your opponent. Extend the timetable to gain power; if your time line is longer than your opponents for reaching an agreement, you have the advantage.
11. FLINCHING - Visibly react to any proposal placed in front of you. This action conveys dissatisfaction to your opponent.
12. WITHDRAW AN OFFER - If your opponent tries to squeeze you for a little too much, withdraw something that has already been agreed upon. Usually this will cause them to back off immediately.
13. RELUCTANT BUYER - Show disinterest in what your opponent is offering, even if it is the greatest thing you have ever seen.
14. KEEP PUSHING - Always go an extra round. Statements like "This is not acceptable" and "You will have to do better than that" go a long way. Always be prepared with a counter-offer on the spot.
15. "NO" - Be prepared to walk away from a negotiation. Never enter a negotiation feeling you must come to an agreement; this makes you powerless.
In conclusion, it is important never to lose sight of your ultimate goals, especially when caught up in a heated negotiation. Practice often, always go an extra step and learn to enjoy per swaying and influencing people.
Dave Yost is Senior Media Buyer/Planner at Harmelin Media, a Media Buying firm in Philadelphia. www.harmelin.com or 610-668-7900.
You've seen the myriad promotional products and imprinted sportswear with company logos out there. It's everywhere you look. The battle for "sight-share" or having your company, group or product name in front of your market has been joined in earnest.
The benefit of promotional products is that they are useful items that will be retained and used by the recipient. Companies and organizations reinforce their name by displaying their message on promotional products and apparel. We have all received promotional items with a company logo at trade shows, store grand openings, company functions and many other events.
Some of the items that you received weren't very impressive, were they? Did you get that cheap pen that ran out of ink (or worse yet, leaked in your pocket)? Or did you get a cheesecloth tote bag that fell apart before you were off of the convention floor. This is some folk's perception of promotional products.
Placing your name on a product that is of questionable quality is counterproductive to what you should want to do. You want to draw customers to your booth or to your new store to tell them about your great products and service. Going the way of a cheap pen or the cheesecloth tote bag would tell them your quality is suspect and your image does not matter to you.
So, how do you take a limited budget and buy the good stuff?
A qualified promotional products professional can get the most for your budget. Buy less and accomplish more. If you feel a salesperson just wants to "sell you stuff", run, don't walk to a qualified reputable counselor that has already waded through the "cheap plastic stuff" to find the idea that will effectively put your company name in the hands of your prospects and customers.
Purchasing on-line from a photo on a website can be perilous. If there is a question of quality, see a sample before you put your name on it. Work with someone who cares about your business, not just the sale.
One of the things that promotional products can effectively do for you is to allow you to target your recipients. Many times, in a trade show or similar event, companies think that more is better. This is a "purchasing" mentality rather than a "marketing" mentality. You don't want non-qualified, tire-kicking, goodie-grabbing people causing congestion in your booth or store to get that item that you have spread out all over the table. You do want a steady stream of qualified prospects that your staff can give a presentation that is not abbreviated by the person that just wants a free gift. Our basic advice to our clients is to make your presentation to the prospect or customer and then present them with a quality gift that will impress and give the quality image that you desire.
Curt Di Furio is an Account Manager with The Dubbs Company in Ivyland, PA
Contact him at Phone: 800-454-1032 e-mail: cdifurio@dubbs.com - www.dubbs.com
If your brochure, web content, ad, newsletter or press release is the one thing people will remember about your organization, shouldn't you feel good about the message conveyed?
The message should be polite and confident, but not haughty. It should convey intelligence and competence, yet not be over their heads. Ultimately, it should say a lot by not saying too much.
With these five simple techniques to enhance your writing, you can be more direct, more sincere, and more attractive to your customers, through whatever medium you communicate with them.
Write Like You Talk Formal education discourages it. We were all taught to use proper language and complete sentences in everything we wrote from kindergarten to college. But when it comes to writing for our customers, it's okay to forego formality to some extent. (Those clever campaigns and catchy ads from Madison Avenue are rarely limited by the rules of English usage.)
Most writers, from novelists to those who write marketing copy, agree that "finding your voice" is essential to good writing, and usually that means writing like you speak. So "talk" to your customers by writing more conversationally. The way words come out of your mouth when you speak. The way thoughts come to your head. Like this.
Listen To Your Writing Test your copy out loud to see if it comes off "naturally". If you get tripped up, if transitions sound awkward or sentences stumble along as you read aloud, chances are the writing will "sound" equally odd when read silently by your customers.
The Contractions Are Coming!
To make your writing more "natural" it's okay to use contractions. I repeat, IT'S OKAY TO USE CONTRACTIONS. They have a wonderful way of softening written language by making it more conversational and less stand-offish. Where contractions don't go over well is in legal documents, proposals, research papers, articles for professional journals, and of course certain types of letters that need to convey absolute seriousness.
Avoid Jargon Corporate-speak is pervasive in today's business culture and people actually communicate - and understand - entire concepts with the assistance of silly terms like "leverage" and "going forward". These are fine for the boardroom, but nobody likes reading a page full of corporate gobbledygook. Instead, talk straight to your customers. Say it in the plainest language possible. It doesn't have to be dumbed down, but it should SAY something - something that the average person, who may or may not be familiar with your industry, can understand.
Stay Focused You can't include every single fabulous aspect of your business in every correspondence or marketing piece that you produce. Avoid communication that meanders all over your business and simply focus on a few of the best services and/or customer relationship highlights. In your marketing materials, give your customers an enticing taste of what they want. Once you've established a relationship, you can wow and surprise them with the rest.
Kennerly is President/Senior Writer for Eclectic Content, Inc., a Philadelphia-based company that provides business, technical and copywriting services to companies of all sizes and industries. Contact Kennerly at 215.732.5704, kennerly.clay@verizon.net or www.eclecticcontent.com
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