Some Lessons on Negotiation
This piece was inspired by a show on radio co-hosted by a man that is well respected in many circles. He's none other than Pastor Magnus. He spoke on a very wonderful topic. We have all done it in some way, shape or form. The fine art of negotiation. It could be during an interview, when it comes down to agreeing on what the remuneration will be. It could be some juicy business deal a friend wants to introduce you to that would involve you parting with some money as an investment vehicle. It could be deciding what you would be paid by a satisfied client after a successful consulting session or service delivery. It could be in deciding what you have to part with in return for some favour, take for example when Esau traded his birth-right for some porridge...hmmm. It could even be in deciding who you wish to spend the rest of your life with. That's very important!
From the foregoing, it is very important in determining one's destiny: for example, the job you decide to "manage" because you "had no choice" can affect your health and productivity if the work place is very far from home and what you earn as take home salary can't really "take you home".
So what are the rules for successful negotiation since it is very important? Here they are
1. Do NOT negotiate when you are tired or weary. Check this scenario out- you just got in from work exhausted, and moments later, a friend comes around talking about a mouth-watering deal that he wants you to be a part of. He's so excited and wants you to act now now! Take it easy. Life is full of opportunities. If you miss this one, it would not be your last. A bigger one is coming down the way. You have to be present in mind and body to make an informed decision.
2. Do NOT negotiate when you are in a hurry. This is closely related to the first. If it looks like the deal will be missed if you do not sign it now and your mind is many things on your TO-DO list, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN!
3. Do NOT agree to a negotiation when you do not have full information about what you are going into. This is very important. Whether its a job opportunity, or a super duper deal, or even a ridiculous investment such as N10 yielding N1 million-just joking:)-if you do not have enough information on it's inner workings, please do NOT sign the dotted lines.
4. Do NOT negotiate or close a deal in the absence of a qualified lawyer. This is important as the lawyer can act as a third party to the deal and if the other party wants to play a game, there will be paper work to back up every transaction.
There were other scenarios in which negotiation would not be advised for any body which Pastor Magnus spoke elaborately on. Furthermore, he reminded us that negotiation should be done in an atmosphere where both parties mutually benefit. A situation where one party smiles to the bank while the other is depressed because they have been conned or cheated should be frowned at. To drive home his point, he cited an instance of a man who wnet about buying filling stations from people at peanut rates just because they were in a tight situation and this man took advantage of them. Today those filling stations are moribund. You can catch Pastor Magnus tweeting @MagnusInspire or on Gloria Maduka's show on Inspiration 92.3 fm [www.inspirationradiong.com] on Tuesdays at about 3pm.
