Ten Secrets to Negotiating the Deal You Want

1. 90% of successful negotiation is down to preparation. Effective negotiators go to great lengths to plan the questions they will ask and the assumptions they will pressure test in order to get a totally clear picture of the current situation.

2. Set your ‘walk away’ point then forget about it. This is the breakpoint beyond which you will lose money and should never ever be exceeded. Once this ‘stop point’ is set you need to forget about it and solely concentrate on hitting their breakpoint. In other words, if you are buying from them getting them to accept the least they would accept (without walking away) or, if you are selling to them, getting them to pay the highest possible price they would pay without walking away.

3. Observe their language and behaviour. You will never truly know their breakpoint- unless you have a truly open book relationship- but the way they react and what they say (and how they say it) will give you clues as to how close to their breakpoint you are.

4. Be creative. Negotiation is a fluid process and the more flexible and creative you can be with what you offer or demand the more successful you will be, the more room you will have to manoeuvre and the more likely you are to avoid deadlock.

5. Trade your concessions and give absolutely nothing away without getting something back in return. Don’t think you have to give something away for free just to ‘get the ball rolling’…this won’t soften the other party up it will just make them tougher!

6. Never ever accept the first deal no matter how good it is! Negotiation is about giving and receiving satisfaction and the more someone has had to fight for something the more satisfied they will be once they get it.

7. Negotiation takes place in their head. Through your use of specific and concise questions you need to understand their pressures, priorities, alternatives and areas of interest. Without having a thorough appreciation of their situation you will not be able to pinpoint their breakpoint let alone drive them towards it.

8. Maintain high aspirations. Negotiation can be uncomfortable and frustrating and it is easy for your head to drop. Accomplished negotiators don’t get bogged down in areas of disagreement they build on positive forward momentum in order to keep the negotiation fluid and dynamic.

9. Keep track of where the money is. Negotiation is not about ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ but growing profitable business. Therefore it is crucial to keep track of the cash value being traded at all times and effective negotiators have a system in place to do this.

10. The more you say the more you give away. Negotiation is not selling. You don’t need to enthuse, justify or present when negotiating. In order to be successful you need to keep your emotions in check, evaluate everything and state your proposals clearly and concisely.

© Gary Gorman 2008

Job Negotiation Tips – Strategies to Get a Raise

You’ve been in your company for over three years now. You know that you have put in your worth in terms of salary, and more besides. You’re loyal, you’re polite and even warm to the bosses, you are nice to everyone in the office, and you know that you are the epitome of being a model employee.

But somehow, you are dissatisfied with how they compensate you. You surely want more. No one wants a salary fit only to buy milk. And this is when you should work on your raise-asking skills. And I’m pretty sure. You are desperate for job negotiation tips to show you the way.
If you notice, no one ever got to the top by waffling or being indecisive. Let’s look at the facts. Though Bill Gates played it nice, at the end of the day, he made an empire for himself by seizing things at the right moment, through shrewd strategy, stealth, and force that is unmatched.

Though negotiation should never be overtly forceful, it needs the gumption backed by shrewdness and strategy that we see in dynamic CEOs.

Job Negotiation Tip #1: Think Like a Would-Be Bill Gates.

When executives think, they don’t waffle about. They brainstorm, research, strategize, and go into battle fully armed. Attack your raise-asking similarly. Mull over how you are going to get it. Research on how others got that raise. Research on the salaries of people on your level. Strategize on how you are going to do the timing of your salary-raise pitch. And arm yourself with courage, and a leak-proof plan on how to make your pitch to your boss.

Job Negotiation Tip #2: Applying the CEO Traits The Right Way

Of course, it’s a big no-no to ask for a raise with an ego like the stereotypical CEO. When you go negotiate for that raise, leave the CEO ego behind, but keep the following traits:

● Keep a sharp mind at all times. When your boss interrogates you why you deserve that raise, be sure to back it up with the evidence why. Build a tight case. Make sure he can’t say no.

● Be persuasive. Study the right words people use to get that raise surely. Pattern your pitch after the best raise-getting talks, and do it with that CEO confidence.

● Strike a balance between dynamism and humility. Be confident, but not egotistical, be aware of your strengths, but not be full of yourself, and never show that you feel like you’re better than anyone else. Truly great people are humble.

Job Negotiation Tip #3: Learn More to Earn More

To get that CEO attitude down pat (to use for job negotiation), learn from the best of them. Learn from the best CEOs in the industry. Learn from Bill Gates. He toppled over Steve Jobs’ head start in the personal computing industry through these key things:

● Being observant, picking up cues, and using these to your advantage.

–Bill Gates picked up on Steve Jobs’ passionate request to not release a mouse-based Operating System before Jobs did, and released one months before Jobs released his. The result was a blow dealt to Apple Computer that edged it out of the market.

–Observe the conditions in your workplace. Observe what makes it likely for your boss to grant a raise. Then use that knowledge when you move in for the kill.

● Researching to deepen your understanding of what you are about to tackle.
–Bill Gates had one of his employees look into how the Apple graphical, mouse-based operating system was created. This stealthy research gave him edge he needed to topple down Steve Jobs.
–Arm yourself with knowledge about your boss’ personality. What approaches persuade him to grant raises? Ask around, casually. Inject your probing in casual conversations with those successful in asking for a raise. Know what you are up against. Knowledge truly is power.

● Not being afraid to step up and take what you want by force.

–Bill Gates used the previous two skills to stack the cards against Steve Jobs. Eventually, he made the bold move and rendered Apple Computer crippled for ten entire years (1989-1998).

–No successful person ever succeeded by waiting for success to fall on his lap. Take heart, take courage, and go get that raise!

Job negotiation requires skill and strategy. These job negotiation tips are culled from the habits of those who made it to the top. Read, study, strategize, learn, mull over, and have courage. You can get that raise. Arm yourself with knowledge, and nail that raise!

Mercedes-Benz Classic Cars Past and Present Making the News

The much celebrated German luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has always offered high quality motoring along with expertly engineered technical automotive design. Mercedes-Benz has always been competitive and had an active racing presence over the years, which has helped with the company’s car development and design.

This can still be seen today, with Mercedes having a major role in many areas of motorsport around the world, including the high-profile Formula 1 World Championship and the DTM (or Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters – German Touring Car Masters) race championships, as well as world-renowned races like Le Mans.

Ultimately, Mercedes-Benz is always in pursuit of driving and motoring excellence and that’s what can be found across their range of cars. Some of these classic Mercedes-Benz cars past and present are never far from the news and it is easy to see why this occurs.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing

Recently, an über rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sold at an auction in Arizona for an amazing £2.95 million (or $4,620,000). This was a particularly rare Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, as it was only one of 29 built with aluminium bodies.

This special, alloy bodied 300 SL Gullwing represented cutting edge technical design at the time of its launch in the early 1950′s, as this was a car you could buy in a showroom but was powerful and lightweight compared to its counterparts that were seen on the race track at that time. This was the car that won the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1952.

If you fancy purchasing a 300 SL Gullwing, you could always buy one of the less rare steel bodied models, as there were 1400 made during the time of its production from 1954 – 1957. In recent years, however, these famous Gullwing Mercedes cars have seen auction prices rising substantially and even a steel bodied 300 SL Gullwing will set you back well into a six figure sum.

SL-class Roadster 2012

Mercedes have just unveiled the all-new SL-class Roadster at the prestigious 2012 Detroit Motor Show. The new SL Roadster is a completely new design which features a chassis and body that is almost completely made from aluminium. This means the new SL-class model is up to 140kg lighter than its forerunner, with an added 20% increase of torsional strength. This is sure to improve the car’s handling, plus making it quicker off the mark and ultimately faster to the electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

The S-Class

Once again, the S-Class Mercedes-Benz has won the prestigious ‘Best Luxury Car’ for an astounding seventh consecutive year at the recent 2012 What Car? awards in London. The S-Class managed to beat all of its rivals to the top award, as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was chosen again for building a quality luxury car whilst retaining good value.