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<title>Latest Negotiation Articles</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/</link>
<description>Articles at Populate.NET</description>
<language>en-us</language>
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<title>RESEARCH PAPER AND THESIS WRITING</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/research-paper-and-thesis-writing.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/research-paper-and-thesis-writing.html</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:23:53 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ <p>Research Paper the word that makes many of the students go mad and sweat down. With increasing number of students enrolling themselves for higher studies the competition proportionally increases which urges the students to put out their best so as to carve a niche for themselves. Research paper has become a part of the curriculum irrespective of the discipline of your study or college or university. Writing research paper is a tedious job especially for beginners as it is a meticulous process which involves a lot of tasks like selection of the topic, presenting the abstract, write an introduction about the research work, charting down the methods used for experimenting the topic, detailed explanation of the methods with experimental evidence or hypothesis, discussion of the pros and cons of the topic and finally presenting of the bibliography. A good guidance is the most essential thing for research write. Most of the time it becomes a great burden for students as many do not get the opportunity of a good guidance.<br /><br />Many companies undertake research writing at cost. They know how demanding it is to write a research paper. Though there may be many sources form where students can get the material and details relating to their research topic many lack the knowledge of how to extract the necessary details and condense them. The key but less noticed point that most of the students miss their grade is the presentation of the research paper. Time is another big constraint that plays an important part in research paper writing, many students miss their deadline wasting a greater part of their time in investigating the paper. It is equally essential to work out a proper time management plan for finishing the paper on time. These companies understand all your difficulties and hence provide you an unparalleled research paper writing service. With experienced staffs they write research paper on any given topic as their writers have specialized knowledge in various domain. They have access to private libraries which do not offer subscription to individuals. Every order placed on research writing will be completed and presented to you much earlier than anticipated as they have easy access to different resources which consist of all required details and descriptions.<br /><br />Thesis writing is the most significant part of a graduation though it comes in the final stages of our higher education as it involves the condensed presentation of all the knowledge that we have gained during the course of study. Though thesis writing may sound similar to research paper is more complicated than the latter. Thesis writing is written after successful research and evaluation of the system through practical testing whereas research paper involves only a theoretical evaluation.</p> ]]></description>
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<title>Finish your essays in time and with perfection with custom essay providers.</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/finish-your-essays-in-time-and-with-perfection-with-custom-essay-providers.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/finish-your-essays-in-time-and-with-perfection-with-custom-essay-providers.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:34:48 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ <p>There are many custom essay writing companies that provide students high class and professional essays.&nbsp; A student faces many complexities in his academic life such as research projects, theses or dissertations and a whole bunch of work load that always keeps them occupied. To add to these hardships which they face, they find that the work demanded by universities and academic programs overwhelming with unremitting rounds of academic papers and projects. All these things certainly take a toll on their overall performance in the university. Custom essay writing companies are tailored around this factor. Their solutions in the area of academic writing, services, admission essay services, editing services are marked by many factors such as their expertise, experience, customer service and support.<br /><br />Some custom essay providers offer unique features to their clients. These features range from providing them with excellent reports to finishing the work before the actual submission time. Custom essay writers provide a brand of services that not only meets the criteria put forth by the students, but also surpasses the standards of top-tier academic institutions.<br /><br />There are a lot of reasons why students need to retort to custom essay writers. One of the main reasons is the level of expertise and experience they offer. Since they have years of productive relations with their clients as well as interactions with top-notch academic institutions, they are capable of producing essay papers that are unmatched in the industry. Some companies also maintain a high percentage of returning clients which clearly indicates that they are the most preferred companies for custom essay writing.<br /><br />Students can even check out the testimonials of the companies which they usually display in their site. The main source of success to these companies is the vast pool of professional essay writers which they hire. They are not just educated, but specialized in different fields of study like mathematics, arts, physics, chemistry, computer sciences, medical sciences, psychology. This means that the essays written are not only perfect but also very relevant to the topic which the students give to them.<br /><br />The companies also provide dedicated customer support. Their goal is pretty simple and straight forward: to work with their clients and to help them achieve their academic goals by delivering the best works. They provide 24/7 customer support and service user-friendly online systems that enables one to monitor and stay in full control of their projects. There are several discounts and promotional offers which are available for both new and existing clients. This is part of their campaign to optimize their clients&rsquo; experiences in working with them.<br /><br />Some companies also provide money back guarantee to their clients. If the client is not satisfied with the work, they can well ask for their money. Thus custom essay help providers help the students in the most elegant way to strive off their burdens and complete their academic courses with great success. Every student must always retort to custom essay providers whenever the feel the need to get the professional guidance for essays.</p> ]]></description>
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<title>Many different ways for you to drive traffic to your affiliate program!</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/many-different-ways-for-you-to-drive-traffic-to-your-affiliate-program.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/many-different-ways-for-you-to-drive-traffic-to-your-affiliate-program.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:39:14 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Even if you work affiliate marketing part-time, you would actually be surprised at the amount of money that can be made. Have you ever thought about starting affiliate marketing? In fact, that is one of the perfect things about this sort of business. You don't need to put all of your efforts into it in order for it to work well for you. As long as you work smartly and make sure that you are consistent, even two hour a day will work wonders towards getting this business up and going quickly. Here are three tips that will help you get started on your affiliate marketing quickly.<br />Using the proper way to promote - If you're just starting out, you may want to avoid such things as pay per click advertising, search engine optimization or some other forms of social marketing. There are many different ways for you to drive traffic to your affiliate program. The easiest way for you to start seeing some affiliate dollars quickly is to make use of article marketing. For further details www.ppc-profit-marketer.com. You can do some keyword research and find long tail keyword phrases that do not have much competition in Google. Within a few weeks, you will begin to see some benefits from the work that you are doing in the way of affiliate sales.<br />The goal of any business is to discover what works best most of the time. When you only have experience with one or two affiliate programs your experience base is limited. It becomes difficult to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different programs. There are many possibilities for marketing affiliate programs and having knowledge of one or two will not give you that universal experience base needed to continually improve your business.<br />Choose Programs smartly â€“ It is important that you choose the correct program and make decisions wisely to avoid any regretting at a later date. The last thing that you want to do is to pick the wrong affiliate program and end up regretting it later on. You can also login on www.affiliate-sale-booster.com. If you put all of your efforts into a program that simply will not work, you can say farewell to all of that effort that you just put in. Rather than doing it this way, you can try choosing one that you can consistently work, maybe on a daily basis. If you choose one that is hard to promote or difficult to write about, you will definitely end up regretting your decision.<br />Buy Back into Your Business - Most individuals start in affiliate marketing business in order to make some extra money. The fact is you can make extra money quickly but if you don't recycle that profit back into your business, it may not grow as quickly. Spend at least 30% of your profits on your own business and watch it take off quickly.<br /> ]]></description>
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<title>Lead Your Team to Victory: The Do's and Don'ts of Effective Group Influence</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/lead-your-team-to-victory-the-do-s-and-don-ts-of-effective-group-influence.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/lead-your-team-to-victory-the-do-s-and-don-ts-of-effective-group-influence.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Much of our work today depends on our ability to influence groups of people we lead or work with on projects. Groups are made up of many personalities, mindsets, motives, and agendas - some explicit and others hidden - so having a specific strategy for influencing teams can mean the difference between success and failure.

To successfully lead a group or team, consider the following do's and don'ts. These tips will help you to be an effective influencer and to prepare for the unique challenges you're likely to experience when you seek to influence teams and groups. 

DO'S
Do mentally separate the group. Knowledge beforehand is essential to efficient planning, and in order to influence the individuals in the group, you must target each of them before the meeting takes place. Think of the group as a collection of individuals, each of them having opinions and issues that you must seek to understand in order to influence them. Put yourself in each team member's shoes and make some assumptions about what their main concerns might be so that you can create a strategy for those individuals you will need to influence. For example, looking at individuals on a work team, you might think: 
If I were ___, what would I be most concerned about?
What would be ___'s response to my efforts to influence the group? 
If I were ___, how would I respond to "me"? 
What does ___ feel he or she has to gain and lose?
 
Do form a common ground coalition. Again, before the group meets, contact those whom you've identified as key stakeholders and listen to their concerns. Check out the assumptions you've made. Ask questions to find out stakeholders' main concerns, how each views the issues, and where you might experience resistance. 

Consider some disclosure of your own as you feel it's appropriate, such as similar situations you may have been in or ways that you feel you can identify with a key member's position. 

When you have established a rapport with these key people, you establish your approach and will be prepared to capitalize on common ground issues when the full group meets. You can open the meeting by saying something like, "I know that none of us in this room really are welcoming change right now. All of us have something to lose in this proposition, but we all have something to gain. I believe we can work together to make that gain something that outweighs the loss." 

Do make desired results clear. From the group's first meeting, let them know what you expect the team to accomplish. Create a vision for the group by presenting a clear picture of future success; this can play a key role in your ability to influence them. For example, you might say, "What I can see us doing today is coming up with a strategy that all of us can buy into and accomplish." Or "I can see us looking back at this meeting a year from now and saying that it was then that we really turned things around." 

Do provide rationale for your ideas. Supporting your contentions with facts shows that you have done your "homework" and provides a good balance to your vision. Remember, people may be convinced by rational reasoning, but they will be more likely to be moved to action when you supplement rationality with emotion-based arguments. 
Do ask open-ended, focused questions. Your goal should be inclusiveness and rapport-building with everyone in the group. Without being passive or giving a lot of ground, ask how, what, where, and why questions that drill down, focusing on one particular issue or statement. For example:
"How do you suggest we proceed with an initiative like this?"
"What are some ways you think we could move more quickly on these issues?"
"Can you tell me more about your concerns?" 
"What do you think we ought to do, ___?" 
"Who do you think we need get on board to make this happen?"

Do create a "brainstorming" atmosphere. Let the group know that they will need to create and explore many options and that you are open to hearing their ideas. Motivate the group by establishing ground rules for brainstorming and for how the group will listen to each other in order to promote open thinking.
Do vote when appropriate. Votes should be private because when individuals must publicly take a stand, they'll naturally feel more defensive. Always vote only when there are a number of options on the table. Before the vote, keep people open and thinking about possibilities, rather than just giving them two choices: this or that. Otherwise, they will select that and have a tendency to defend their choice, even if they don't wholeheartedly believe in it.

DON'TS
Don't allow people to take a fixed position. To avoid defensiveness, encourage openness and collaboration right at the beginning. If people take a position too early, they will have the tendency to dig in and defend it. Suggest putting several options on a flip chart and then narrowing those down to a Top Three before voting. If you do your homework, you will remain unsurprised by team members who will come into the meeting with fixed positions in mind that they will try to push through. You can best deal with this when it happens by saying, "I know some people have a strong idea about how we should do this. I'll put that option up on the board. I also want to get a couple of other options up here, too, so what are some other possibilities?"

Don't put people into like-minded discussion groups. To encourage a diversity of opinions, group people as much as possible who have contrasting views. That way, rather than reinforcing each other's positions, groups will explore new territory and create new material through the interplay of their ideas. Blend the groups so that they debate one another, and you'll eliminate "groupthink" reinforcing itself. 

Don't let objections sabotage the team. When a team member presents an objection, it need not sink the ship; rather, look at objections as signals of an opportunity for you to obtain information that will allow you to influence the group. Probe more deeply into objections and empathize with team members who raise them, really listening to what they have to say about why they disagree. Then take some time to mull over the information before you attempt to overcome the objection. Don't come up with an answer too quickly or the objector will feel you didn't really listen or are giving a prepared answer.

Go Team! Influencing Your Way to Success

Great communication skills are essential for you to effectively influence teams and groups. You can't lead a group well if you go into the meeting "cold." You must do your homework in advance - communicating individually with key stakeholders - so that you can understand their concerns and move the team in the direction you want it to go. When you're prepared, yet remain flexible, your influence will also extend to those in the group who might tend to dig in behind a predetermined position to defend it. Practicing and refining your team influencing strategy will lead to success for your group, its project, and you! ]]></description>
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<title>What are main tips of Joint Venture Negotiation?</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/what-are-main-tips-of-joint-venture-negotiation.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/what-are-main-tips-of-joint-venture-negotiation.html</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:50:43 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ When you want to negotiate the terms of a successful, win/win Joint Venture, there are a few basic guidelines that I have learned through the years that will help you to optimize the opportunity and maximize the chances of a successful Joint Venture that can lead to many more. More importantly, with the right approach you can build and maintain a good, solid relationship, whether the JV is successful or not! "...do a lot of homework on the type of business you're dealing with.â€ First, do a lot of homework on the type of business you're dealing with, its unique problems, profit margins, challenges, back end and resources. You can use the Internet, speak to the competition, read industry publications and talk with company employees, vendors and customers. Also, speak to fellow Joint Venture Forum Members at your locals meeting, on the Internet and on your Members Only Conference calls. Six degrees of Separation means everybody knows people and you're looking for contacts that can fast-track your information collection and due diligence you can visit www.joint-ventures-secret.com  Next, do serious research on the person you're dealing with. <br /><br />Naturally, you should be negotiating with the decision maker. What is his or her â€œHot Buttonâ€? What do they really, really want? What keeps them awake at night? What are their values, hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations? WHY do they want what they say they want? How much and what will it take to really get their undivided attention? You need to craft and personalize the Joint Venture to take full advantage of this knowledge to offer the ultimate benefit, a deal which is too good to be refused. Is this person knowledgeable about the mindset required for a successful Joint Venture? Give him Joint Venture information to prepare his mind, such as the articles, video and other resources found here. Suggest he joins the Dollar Makers and/or attends a Dollar Makers Members have also realized the efficacy of giving them a copy of my book, to read in preparation to the negotiation or go to www.joint-venture-guide Also, make sure you reduce the cost and risk on both sides to the absolute minimum, as well as the time required to make it work. <br /><br />Do this by leveraging existing resources instead of creating / buying / building new ones. That way, if things don't work out as expected, nobody loses and the relationship remains strong, without resentment or regret. "Always be positive, relaxed and unattached, and be prepared to walk away from any Joint Venture..."Get the opinion of at least two respected mentors, Mastermind Partners, or Fellow Joint Venture Forum Members before presenting your case to your potential Joint Venture partner. Finally, put everything in writing. This clarifies issues and responsibilities, duties, payments, time of payment, conditions and expectations. You could also mention the fact that things might not work out as expected, and what will occur under those circumstances. Clear communication is essential. Always be positive, relaxed and unattached, and be prepared to walk away from any Joint Venture if you're not comfortable or if the return on investment is not deemed worth the time and effort it requires, always bearing in mind the big picture. This attitude will strengthen your pos<br /> ]]></description>
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<title>Stop Arguing - How to Disagree Without Having an Argument</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/stop-arguing-how-to-disagree-without-having-an-argument.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/stop-arguing-how-to-disagree-without-having-an-argument.html</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Before I share with you how to disagree without having an argument, I want to ask you a question. Are you a peacemaker or a peace breaker?

In case you are wondering, being a peacemaker does not mean that you let people walk all over you, and it does not mean that you never offer your opinion or say how you feel about something. It simply means that you find a peaceable solution.

It really is possible to disagree without having an argument, here are some keys to help you avoid arguments and keep the peace. 

Disagree respectfully. People handle disagreements better when you don't make them feel as if their opinion is ridiculous or doesn't matter. 

Disagree wisely. If you are going to disagree with someone, you need to do it wisely. Think through how you will disagree before you open your mouth. The key to peace in disagreement is how you express your opinion.

Do not try to change the other person's opinion. Be careful that you do not move into manipulation and try to get the other person to agree with you. You do not have to try and change their opinion, simply state your own.

Allow people to have a different opinion to yours. Say what you think and leave it at that. It is important that you allow people to have their own opinions. Give people the freedom to be who they are and think what they think.

Search for a compromise. Consider that your opinion might be no more right than theirs and aim to find a solution that you are both reasonably happy with.

Give up your right to be right. Sometimes you need to allow someone to go ahead and do something their way even when you strongly disagree. When you can do that and keep a good attitude, you will have less conflict.

Given time you will develop your own ways of disagreeing without arguing. The first step is being aware of the value of learning how to disagree without arguing. The key to a peaceful outcome is to respect other people enough to allow them the freedom to disagree.

How can you be a peacemaker without letting people walk all over you? Find ways of respecting other people's opinion without feeling that you need to change your own. When you allow other people the freedom to be themselves and show more respect for their opinions you will find that you can disagree without having an argument. ]]></description>
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<title>How can a Company Manage its Image using Public Relations</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/how-can-a-company-manage-its-image-using-public-relations.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/how-can-a-company-manage-its-image-using-public-relations.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Public relations is no longer something that just happens; how a company or corporation is perceived in the public eye, particularly in the eye of the company's shareholders or potential customers, isn't something that's left to chance.  Companies have entire departments and large budgets in place to ensure that they will be viewed in a positive light by the public.

In its simplest form, the idea of public relations is to get the word out to the public concerning all of the positive things that a company or organization may be involved in, and to enhance the company's overall image, while at the same time downplaying anything that could potential be viewed as a negative action in the public eye.

Public relations is kind of like advertising's less obtrusive brother.  Where advertising's main goal is to stick a product in the face of a potential customer and give them every reason to buy it, the public relations approach is a lot less direct.  

Public relations will let your target consumer know what else you've got going on besides your product or service - like what kind of good you are doing in the community and how you plan to help more in the future.  Though it's not as bold as advertising, a good public relations department can aid in building profits just as much as advertising.

There are any number of ways that a company or organization can positively use public relations to enhance their image in the eye of the public:

A company can donate either time or money to a charitable cause or they could hold a charity event to raise money for a particular cause.  Potential customers and share holders want to know if a company cares, and they want to know what it is that the company cares about and supports.

Another approach to public relations is to have a company representative speak at an industry conference or seminar.  The speaker can go over with an audience, packed with the very people that the company wants to reach, details of all of the latest activities as well as all of the future plans that will be implemented and what kind of positive impact those plans will have on the industry and the community.  

This is kind of like issuing a personal press release, where the company representative can get out the exact message that needs to be distributed to exactly the right people, and can then answer any potential questions that may arise.  A press release is a great tool, but its content is definitive, any questions that arise from a press release will remain until another company statement is made, with a live statement questions can be addressed and answered appropriately right form the start.

Though I've just pointed out some of the negatives of a press release, that doesn't mean that it's not a very effective tool of public relations.  A press release mat not be personal, and it may or may not leave small questions in the minds of some readers, but what it can do is reach a tremendous amount of people giving them a good idea of your mission statement or telling them of a recent award or accomplishment of the company.  

A well written press release can reach thousands of thousands of people that wouldn't have known of your accomplishment any other way - and press releases come at a much cheaper price than any form of advertising.  You'd never be able to reach the same portion of your target audience with public speaking as you would with a high quality press release.

A company's image can mean everything - one big negative event, even if it's only perceived as a negative event in the public eye, can literally destroy a company.  If a company or organization wants to become successful and stay successful, it has to build up and protect its positive image - the only way to really do that effectively is through good public relations. ]]></description>
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<title>Why You Should Have It In Writing</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/why-you-should-have-it-in-writing.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/why-you-should-have-it-in-writing.html</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ There is an old saying in the West that says that if the preacher talks too much about stealing, better sneak out a little early, race home and lock the cellar!

The same holds for the good old boy that says, Ah, we don't need to have a contract.  You can trust me.  The most innocent reasons for putting something in writing are that frankly each of us forgets, changes our minds or some folk just plain lie!

Robert Ringer famously said in the 70's, If you have it in writing, you have a prayer.  If you don't have it in writing you just have air!  Sadly, old Bobby was right more times than wrong.

A Contract is a meeting of the minds.  When two people finally have that, it means that they think the same thing, or at least at that moment in time they think that they think the same thought!  So a good thought is to write that good thought down in black and white so both parties can look at it.  When you both see it in those bold letters and it is really what you both were thinking, then you really do have a contract.  The final touch is when each of you put your John Hancock's on the dotted line.

Then in the future when your partner decides that he doesn't remember it the way you do, each of you can pull out that paper and refer to it to refresh your aging memories.  Of course, you keep a copy in your 40-ton vault just in case your partner still doesn't agree 'cuz that's what courts are for!  Besides, we want to fall into the status quo.  

The US has 5% of the world's population, 95% of the world's attorneys and 98% of the world's litigation.  And if you were to sneak a peak at the stats, I'm sure we'd find that a goodly part of that is split between New York and California!  (quote me and I'll deny it!)  So don't worry, sue him.  You'll be right at home in good company.

Most all of us want to think the other person is honest and wants the best, or at least is a straight shooter, (the exception, of course, is if you are in the crosshairs of his very large rifle scope!).  But thinking that someone thinks what we do and will continue thinking that way is rather dicey.  

Ever played that game where you all sit in a big circle and you whisper something in the person's ear to your right.  That person in turn repeats what he thought he heard to the person on her right, and so on around the circle.  The rule is that no one can repeat themselves.  Each one has to repeat once what he thought he or she heard.  

When the last person repeats what he heard to you and you tell the group the two statements the group usually rolls around in laughter!  Remember that game?  Of course you do!  It's crazy and that's why we have courts!  That's why we have everything worth remembering exactly put down in writing and witnessed. 

Some of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever known have said, OK, great I'll have my attorney draw up an agreement.  Actually it was a compliment.  Those kind of people are unique and usually those contracts gather dust in my active files.

It's the oily guy with the new porcelain smile and his $3,000 suit paid for by his last victim that says, Ah we don't need to have a contract.  You can trust me...NOW That's when I sneak out early, race home and lock the cellar! ]]></description>
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<title>You Can Make Money By Negotiating Your Bills</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/you-can-make-money-by-negotiating-your-bills.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/you-can-make-money-by-negotiating-your-bills.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Have you ever tried to negotiate one of your bills? Heating bills, garbage bills, cell phone bills, and cable TV bills: you might think that a bill is a bill and you owe the full amount but sometimes you can talk your way into a discount. 

I have the $70.00 a month for 1000 minutes plan with one of the major cell phone companies. I have never gone over in minutes in several years so it was a total shock when my bill one month was $235.00! Apparently I had gone over my allotted minutes by almost 500 and that resulted in the $165.00 being added to the bill.

Well, I was upset that I went over that much and also that the phone company would stick me for so much. I mean, I know we signed a contract and all but thats a pretty hefty phone bill when you know the minutes don't mean a thing to them.  

In the past I had briefly talked about switching companies and I thought this was a perfect time to call my cell phone company up to see just how loyal they were. 

I got on the line with the customer service guy and explained the situation: this was a one time deal, we had never gone over before, and so on. I asked if there was anything he could do for me. He put me on hold and came back saying that they could knock $30.00 off the bill.  I told him that $30.00 was OK but I was hoping for more and I reminded him that we had been with them for a long time. He put me on hold again to go talk to his manager and this time he came back and said they could take 50% off the extra $165.00 which amounted to $82.50.

For some reason I didn't want to take that offer either. I don't know why but maybe because I smelled weakness. I knew the next level up plan was $100.00 for 2000 minutes and if I had had that plan I would have not gone over. I then said that I was hoping to have them "pretend" I had that higher plan just for that month and that they would take off $135.00.

The guy on the phone would have none of that and said his hands were tied and the 50% off the charges was the best they could do: final offer. I then told/asked him politely that there were many cell phone companies and I thought they would want my business. He countered with "we do want your business but you signed a contract so I don't even understand why you are trying to get a discount". I told him I did sign a contract and I would pay the charges but I was also seriously considering changing companies afterwards.  

"Let me transfer you to my manager" he immediately said. The manager then came on and was all nice and asked me exactly what I wanted. I told him that I wanted to pay $100.00 out of the $235.00 thus essentially "moving up" to the higher plan for just that one month. I told him that I wanted to stay with his company and that if he did that for me I would not change.

He didn't agree to it right away but in the end he could see that I was determined and meant it. He did give in and I ended up paying only $100.00 out of the $235.00! The normal person probably would have gladly taken the $82.50 that the customer service guy offered but I was, as the manager said, determined. Not a bad payoff I must say for about 15 minutes of work! ]]></description>
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<title>Negotiation Tactics: Smart Ways to Gain the Upper Hand in Real Estate</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/negotiation-tactics-smart-ways-to-gain-the-upper-hand-in-real-estate.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Business/Communication/negotiation/negotiation-tactics-smart-ways-to-gain-the-upper-hand-in-real-estate.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The reality of any negotiation is that it is an exercise in psychology. Realistic market factors play their role, but final decisions are usually made based on perception. How the seller perceives you, the investor, will influence the deal. Here are some tactics to tip the scales in your favor.

Successful negotiators are always one of two things: extraordinarily prepared, or really good at conveying the impression that they are prepared. The problem with the latter is that the bottom can drop out. Even good actors can run out of tricks when they aren't completely prepared. You don't want the other person involved in the deal to see you bluffing.

The best way to avoid this is to simply be more prepared than the other person. Know everything about the area, type of property, similar properties, prices, and market fluctuations. Do your homework. That way, you can come into the situation confidently. The minute you waffle is the minute someone else gets the upper hand.

The next link in the chain is to ask about what you don't know. Coerce the opposing party into divulging any information that can be useful to you in your negotiation. This is one of the best ways to break down the fortress to get to your best deal. Bombarding someone with questions is unnerving. You don't want to make them so uncomfortable that they choose to step away, so pull back before they do and come at the negotiation from a different angle.

Essential questions to ask are those that uncover the true motivation of the seller. This requires a little more tiptoeing than some other situations because offending the other party will kill the deal. However, in order to form the situation to your advantage, you've got to understand what the seller wants.

Successful real estate investors know that you've got to purchase from motivated sellers. Sellers who are simply toying with the market aren't going to give you the best deal and will waste your time. Find out before you get too involved in the negotiation process if the other party is truly interested in selling the property.

Be firm. Be in control of the situation but not overbearing. Come across as too overbearing and you will appear the opposite of in control. Strike a fine balance. Choose your words carefully and actively. Avoid being passive. State what is going to happen.

Know the value of a good silence. This can be applied at any time, but it takes a good instinct to know when. Use silence to your advantage. When the other party has shot back with a demand or an offer that is outside of your preference, be silent. Allow them to feel a bit doubtful, ill at ease. If they have to second guess their own tactics, you are already gaining an upper hand.

Learn from the best. Seek out someone you trust who knows their stuff and see how they operate. The most successful property investors know you don't learn negotiation tactics simply by reading about them. Negotiation is a skill best learned by observation. Observe their mannerisms and pay close attention to what is said and what is left out of the conversation. Use what you see as a basis for how you operate. Model, but don't imitate. If you act in a way that is foreign to you, it becomes very obvious.

Practice negotiating in your everyday life. This doesn't mean you have to haggle with a gas station attendant. Negotiation isn't just getting your way. It is the skill to convince. Try it out with members of your family or during discussions on the job. Remember to be perceptive and study the psychology of others around you. If you can sense what they want, it can always be used to your advantage. ]]></description>
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