Business
English
1. Principles for understanding people in
business situations
Background
- What people say
and do in the most innocent situations can speak volumes about their real
selves.
- Some people
will act one way with subordinates, another with their boss, another with
people outside the company.
- But the real
self--one's true nature--can't change color to suit its environment. Sooner or
later it will show. So listen.
- Hear what
people are really saying, not what they are telling you.
- Put someone's
deeds in the larger context of character.
Preconceived notions
- People often
make judgments about others before meeting them based upon what they've heard
or what they know about another's company or actions.
- Worse still,
they'll even mistrust or ignore their own perceptions coming from a personal
meeting. In other words, they will make their perceptions from a personal
meeting conform to their conclusions made prior to the meeting.
Observe
- There is
usually more to see then meets the eye--a whole level of personal dynamics
operating just beneath the surface.
- Look for clues
such as: what people say or do unconsciously; their look when asked a question
or hearing something (ex. Look away); way they choose to phrase a particular
thought.
- See beyond the
present situation. The better you know the person, the more you can get beneath
the facades and the more accurately you can predict how they will react or
respond in almost any situation.
- Talk less and
observe more. Open up all your senses.
Listen aggressively
- Meet people in
person. Listen and observe their dress, body language, etc.
- Don't be hasty
in this. Don't jump to conclusions. Almost any useful observation must be
considered in the larger context of the situation and what else you are hearing
and seeing.
- What's the
relative importance the person places on form in relation to substance. There's
a difference between posture and posturing.
- Look to see if
a person's pose is too perfect.
- A person's eyes
will usually tell you what they're thinking, even when all the other signs are
pointing elsewhere. People communicate with their eyes when they can't use
words. Look at the eye contact between people.
11 principles for negotiation
When negotiating it's important to have the most information possible,
preferably more than the other side. It helps to know where the other side's
negotiating power is weak. Here's some suggestions:
1. Don't get personal.
Many business
negotiations are not about befriending the other side. Always be courteous and
kind, but you need not develop a relationship outside of the negotiation. If
you dislike the other side, you don't have to express that dislike. Don't make
the other side choose between self-respect and self-interest in order to deal
with you.
2. Control your emotions.
Don't get overheated
emotionally. This means expressing anger if the negotiations don't go your way.
If you feel you've come out a winner don't show it. No one likes to feel
they've lost and maybe you'll have to face them again. It very difficult when
you face some who wants to get even.
3. Don't talk out of school.
If you discuss your
deals in elevators, you have definitely pushed the "down" button.
It's a small world ... and the walls have ears.
4. Leave something on the table for the other guy.
Peace treaties are
made between enemies, not friends: It usually takes a war to get them to the
bargaining table. Deals are made between parties who seek mutual advantage, not
unilateral victory. Both sides have to win something, or you don't have a deal,
you have a homicide. One way or another, your counterpart will see to it that
crime doesn't pay.
5. Your first offer
should never be your final offer.
Don't create a
situation in which your opponent can't justify his value to his principal by
accepting your offer. Give the person on the other side of the table a chance
to knock you down a little. Remember the previous point: He or she needs to win
something, too.
6. Don't negotiate with yourself.
Once you've made an
offer, if the other party doesn't accept it, don't make another offer. Wait for
a counteroffer. Don't lower your own demands without getting them to lower
theirs.
7. Don't be afraid to take a risk.
Sometimes it's risky
not to take a risk. The trial lawyer who says he or she never lost a case
settles too easily. Don't let yourself be bluffed by artificial deadlines or
"final offers." And don't run bluffs, either. If you are called and
you don't follow through, your credibility is shot.
8. Don't be afraid to go to an expert when you're over your head.
You don't know
everything. Trying to pretend to your opponent, your client or yourself that
you are knowledgeable in some area or have some vital information when you
don't harms your position. It makes you appear weak and foolish.
9. Don't attribute more strength to the other side than it
possesses.
Remember, in any
negotiation, both sides are under pressure to perform. They have bosses,
deadlines, pressures, fears and objectives, the same as you do.
10. Sometimes you can get what you want by calling it by another
name.
Let's say your
opposite number does not "renegotiate" contracts. OK, what if we call
it a contract "extension"? They say no to severance pay? OK, it's a
"consulting contract." A potential employer does not want to ire you
on a permanent basis? OK, it's an "internship."
11. Take your time.
Don't let the other
side force a deal. The more time you give yourself, the more information you
can gather about their true needs.
12 steps to finding agreement
Excerpts from Dale Carnegie
1. The only
way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
You can't win an argument because even if you win, you lose. You
have made your opponent feel inferior. You have hurt his pride. He will resent
your triumph. Poem: A man convinced against his will - Is of the same
opinion still. Lincoln
Suggestions on how to keep a disagreement from becoming an
argument:
Welcome the disagreement: "When two partners always agree,
one of them is not necessary."
Distrust your first instinctive impression: Our first natural
reaction in a disagreeable situation is to be defensive.
Control your temper.
Listen first: Let the other person finish. Try to understand them.
Look for areas of agreement: After you have heard their side.
dwell first on the points and areas you both agree on.
Be honest: Admit error, apologize if necessary.
Promise to think over your opponents ideas and study them
carefully.
Thank your opponents sincerely for their interest.
Postpone action to give both sides time to think through the
problem.
2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say,
"You're wrong."
You can tell people they are wrong by a look or an intonation or a
gesture just as eloquently as you can in words - and if you tell them that they
are wrong, do you make them want to agree with you? Never! For you have struck
a direct blow at their intelligence, judgement, pride, and self-respect. That
will make them want to strike back. But it will never make them want to change
their mind. Alexander Pope said: "Men must be taught as if you
taught them not - And things unknown proposed as things forgot." Lord
Chesterfield said: "Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not
tell them so."
If a person makes a statement that you think is wrong - even if
you know it is wrong, say, "Well, now, look. I thought otherwise, but I may
be wrong. I frequently am. And if I am wrong, I want to put it right. Let's
examine the facts."
Carl Rogers said: "Our first reaction to most ... statements is an evaluation
or judgement, rather than an understanding of it. ... Our tendency is almost
immediately to feel, "that's right," or "that's stupid,"
"that's abnormal," that's unreasonable," "that's
incorrect," "that's not nice." Very rarely do we permit
ourselves to understand precisely what the meaning of the statements is to the
other person."
Ben Franklin said: "I made it a rule to forbear all direct contradiction to
the sentiment of others, and all positive assertion of my own. I even forbade
myself the use of every word or expression that [implied] a fixed opinion, such
as "certainly, undoubtedly, etc. [clearly, obviously, evident,
surely]," and I adopted, instead of them, "I conceive, I apprehend,
or I imagine," a thing to be so or so, or "it appears so to me."
... When confronted with another person's error, begin your answer
by saying the certain cases or circumstances where his opinion would be right,
but in the present case, there appears or seems to be some differences."
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way
5. Get the other person saying, "yes, yes" immediately.
In talking with people, don't begin by discussing the things on
which you differ. Begin by emphasizing and keep on emphasizing - the things on
which you agree. Keep on emphasizing, if possible, that you are both striving
for the same end and that your only difference is one of method and not of
purpose.
Get the other person saying, "Yes, yes" at the outset.
Keep your opponent, if possible, from saying, "No."
Socrates asked questions with which his opponents would have to
agree. An old Chinese proverb said: "He who treads softly goes far."
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
Let the other person talk themselves out. They know more about their
business and problems than you do. So ask them questions. Let them tell you a
few things.
Don't interrupt them. They won't pay attention to you while they
still have a lot of ideas of their own crying for expression. Listen patiently,
with an open mind. Be sincere about it. Encourage them to express their ideas
fully.
Take the time to find out something about the person you are
meeting with. If your with someone successful, ask an open ended question like,
"I understand you started this x years ago with nothing but a desk and one
employee. Is that true?" Almost every successful person likes to reminisce
about their early struggles.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
In general, people have more faith in ideas that they discover
themselves than those that are handed to them on a silver platter.
No one likes to be sold something or told to do a thing. We much
prefer to feel that we are buying of our own accord or acting on our own ideas.
We like to be consulted about our wishes, our wants, our thoughts.
Ask others what or where they feel the problem is. Discuss each
point and ask them their opinions on which is the best way to proceed. A few,
low-key suggestions, given at the proper intervals, will influence them. Let
them develop your plan or ideas themselves.
Ask questions in a friendly way, showing a cooperative spirit,
noting areas where the other person is right. This will warm them up and melt
any tension between you. Add in a carefully put remark here or there to give
birth in the other person of a new opinion or idea. Be careful not to let them
think that you are making an issue of something.
Lao-tse, a
Chinese sage twenty-five centuries ago said: "The reason why rivers and
seas receive the homage of a hundred mountain streams is that they keep below
them. Thus they are able to reign over all the mountain streams. So the sage,
wishing to be above men, puts himself below them; wishing to before them, he
puts himself behind them. Thus, though his place is above men, they do not feel
his weight; though his place is before them, they do not count it an
injury."
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of
view.
Remember that other people may be totally wrong. But they don't
think so. Don't condemn them. Only wise, tolerant, exceptional people even try
to do that.
There is a reason why the other person thinks and acts as they do.
Ferret out that reason - and you have the key to his actions, perhaps to his
personality. Try honestly to put yourself in their place. Say, "How would
I feel, how would I react if I were in his shoes?"
Tomorrow before asking someone to do something, buy something, or
contribute money, pause and close your eyes and try to think the whole thing
through from another person's point of view. Ask yourself, "Why should
they want to do it?
Cooperativeness in conversation is achieved when you show that you
consider the other person's ideas and feelings as important as your own.
Starting your conversation by giving the other person the purpose or direction
of your conversation, governing what you say by what you would want to hear if
you were the listener, and accepting his or her viewpoint will encourage the
listener to have an open mind to your ideas.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
Saying, "I don't blame you one iota for feeling as you do. If
I were you I would undoubtedly feel just as you do," stops arguments,
eliminates ill feelings, creates good will, and makes the other person listen
attentively.
Three-fourths of the people you will ever meet are hungering and
thirsting for sympathy. Give it to them, and they will love you.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives
All people you meet have a high regard for themselves and like to
be fine and unselfish in their own estimation. J. Pierpont Morgan said:
"A person usually has two reasons for doing a thing; one that sounds good
and a real one."
The person himself will think of the real reason. You don't need
to emphasize that. But all of us, being idealists at heart, like to think of
motives that sound good. So, in order to change people, appeal to the nobler
motives. Use Alinsky's point about their moral contradiction. Make them play by
their internal rulebook.
11. Dramatize your ideas
12. Throw down a challenge
Charles Schwab
said: "The way to get things done is to stimulate competition. I do not
mean in sorid, money-getting way, but in the desire to excel." This is the
way to appeal to people of spirit. Frederic Herzberg, a
behavioral scientist said, "The most motivating factor on a job was not
money, good working conditions, fringe benefits, but the work itself. If
the work was exciting and interesting, the worker looks forward to doing it and
is motivated to do a good job.
By Robert I. Winer, M.D.
Evaluating business opportunities
(From an article by Norm
Brodsky, Inc., July, 99, p.29)
Opportunities
- The world is filled with
great business opportunities and none of them guarantee success.
- Spotting the opportunities is
easy. What's hard is developing the discipline and stamina to stay
focused on the single opportunity that you've chosen until it's turned
into an established business that can stand on its own.
Focus
- Phase one is to develop a single specific business. Focus
is needed here to not consider 10 different business ideas at the same time,
looking for the most promising. That's the wrong question. Here's what to
ask yourself:
- Which business do I like
the most?
- Which one fits in best with
what I want to do with my life?
- Select the single idea
that, for whatever reason, strikes you as more appealing than the
others.
- Phase two is to thoroughly the promising opportunity you
like the best by researching it. Here's how:
- Arrange to spend time
working in the industry.
- Find out everything you can
about the current industry players and how the business really works.
Get information from trade associations, talking to people in related
businesses, and interviewing customers.
Commitment
- Any business is a long-term
commitment. Plan to give it your full attention for at least five years.
- We're not talking about
neglecting the rest of your life, but at work you need to be totally
dedicated to the path you've chosen until the company is firmly
established, and that takes a long time.
Is it viable?
- Enjoyment in the long-term is
vital, but viability is needed or else your commitment is futile. If you
can't answer the following questions, which are crucial if you're moving
forward, then it's generally because you're not focusing on the one
specific opportunity and pushing the others out of your mind:
- Do you have the resources
and skills you need to be successful in your business?
- Is it reasonable to think
that the business will get you to where you want to go?
Build a customer base
- The biggest challenge comes
once you've started as you soon discover there are more opportunities
available--both from inside and outside the business. These tempt you to
lose your focus, and with it, your best shot at success.
- Unless you focus first on
building a customer base, you don't have a business. Any business must sustain
itself on a base of customers that provide an internally-generated cash
flow and profit to make the business viable. Ask these questions:
- What kind of customers will
give you such a base?
- How can you draw them in?
- Relentlessly focus on this
customer base. This isn't easy and doesn't come naturally to most people.
- Opportunities are always
there, but if they move you away from your focus, they tie up capital,
waste your money in the wrong areas, and take your time away from doing
the one thing that makes a business successful: building the customer
base.
- The two limiting resources
are time and money. Don't waste either.
What if your approach isn't
working?
- Don't wear blinders. Focus
shouldn't make you rigid. Sometimes your information, such as inability
to get information out of the people in the industry, limit your ability
to know basic things such as how to go after the customers and how much
to charge.
- Try using competitive prices
first and add value by giving better service. If this doesn't work, then
you've got the wrong approach. Maybe people won't switch vendors or buy
because of service or improved technology. So think about lowering your
price.
- Lowering prices is tricky.
You must be able to do it while still making the business viable.
- Remember that profit = gross
income - expenses. So you either need to increase income or decrease
expenses in a timely enough manner to maintain cash flow while the
business is growing.
- Expenses relate to each item
sold. You need to be able to calculate a per item expense. Then you have
the possibility of thinking up creative ways to decrease this by
considering every area of expense for ways to do it cheaper.
- Increase income by increasing
customers or raising prices.
- If you're not getting enough
leads to customers, then perhaps your selling strategy is wrong. Where
are the customers? If they're at trade shows, go there, but see what the
results are. Maybe you need to cold call.
- Be both focused and flexible.
Don't be distracted by the opportunities yet don't be so focused that you
ignore signs of trouble.
- A business idea almost never
works exactly as you though it would when you started out.
- You have to figure out how to
make it work by watching, listening, asking questions, experimenting,
making changes, refining your concept, and constantly developing your
customer base.
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