Negotiations deadlock for many reasons. When both sides refuse to budge, it’s time to be creative. Here are some guidelines to get the other side talking again: • Start Over. When Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev deadlocked during arms talks, Reagan reached across the table and said, “Hello, Mikhail, my name is Ron, and I […]

Probing Past Positions Probing effectively does not just work in fictional negotiations. Often, our seminar participants share their own success stories involving their ability to “probe and probe again” to get past the other sides positions and uncover their true interests. Recently, we heard from a banker who specialized in real estate loans. He had

By Ron Shapiro Co-Founder and Chairman of Shapiro Negotiations Institute Often participants in our programs voice the following frustration: “How can you possibly achieve a Win-Win result when you are in a weak position? When the other side holds all of the cards, isn’t it impossible to be an effective negotiator?” I believe the most

A common issue that arises late in the sales cycle when trying to close a deal to deliver sales training is “How do you measure the impact of your course?” This question is loaded with danger…and opportunity for the forward-thinking training organization. The stack of research and literature on measuring the impact of training is

As the reverse auction increases in popularity as a way for buyers to drive vendor costs down, more suppliers are choosing not to participate in them. Suppliers are resisting the pressure to reduce profitability and commoditize their products and services. However, a strategy to avoid reverse auctions is not the best or only way to

A reverse auction (also called procurement auction, e-auction, sourcing event, e-sourcing or eRA) is a tool used in business-to-business procurement. It is a type of auction in which the role of the buyer and seller are reversed, with the primary objective to drive purchase prices downward. In an ordinary auction (also known as a forward

Many training initiatives are reactive in nature. An influential executive notices a skill gaps or deficiency and prescribes training as the remedy without careful consideration for the long-term benefits. In fact, training alone will rarely, if ever, provide for lasting and productive change in the way people do their jobs. People are able to change

According to the latest annual report by Training Magazine, U.S. organizations spent $58.5 billion for training (including payroll and training budgets) with $16.3 billion spent on external learning products and services. While growth in the training industry tailed off (6% growth versus 7% in 2006), staffing and training budgets increased by 4.8%. Breaking it down

Common sense dictates that if we can control our emotions when confronted with a difficult situation, we will achieve better results. We have all seen how police officers are trained to remain calm in the face of angry, belligerent suspects. We admire the basketball player who coolly sinks the winning free throws while the student

This is an excerpt from the book The Power of NICE by Ron Shapiro, Mark Jankowski and Jim Dale. Here are three warnings – don’ts – to keep in mind when you are digging for information during a negotiation: 1. Don’t Mind-Read Don’t assume you know what the other side is thinking and simply proceed