We were at the Great Wall of China. A gentleman in my tour group showed interest in a folding fan that a vendor near the Wall was selling. He wanted to bring home a souvenir. The vendor’s asking price was 125 Yuan (about $18) for the folding fan. After a few minutes of back-and-forth haggling, … Read On >
Negotiators often fail to consider their Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) and the other side’s BATNA. Thinking through both BATNAs helps us determine how much leverage we have in a negotiation. What will happen if we can’t come to an agreement with the other party? If the alternative to a negotiated agreement is … Read On >
While leading an Improving Communications workshop recently, I asked a question that had hands flying up toward the sky from participants in the room: “How many of you have ever wanted to be more assertive in the workplace but didn’t know how?” To be more assertive was something everyone wanted to work on. But the … Read On >
The message arrived unexpectedly. It was from the VP of Marketing at a global software company. I skimmed the words, then read them again. This could be big—bigger than anything I had worked on before. The VP wanted to meet and discuss a project that had three components; equipment, production and implementation. In total, it … Read On >
Communication is not always verbal. Although unconscious, the audience pays attention to body language. Speaker body language must tell the audience that s/he respects their personal space and is not negative, intrusive, or hostile. Body language (the physical elements of communication) includes: eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and gestures / movement. EYE CONTACT A United States audience translates … Read On >
Your U-V-What? A Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is something that any branding expert or sales coach will tell you that you need to craft to perfection. In its essence, a UVP is what makes your company different from any other. It can be the heart and soul of your business. Simply put, your purpose. In … Read On >
Briefcase in hand, I strode across the bustling turnpike toward the client’s office building. After checking-in with Security, I took the elevator upstairs and met, for the first time, the person in Marketing to whom I had been referred by my contact in HR. Having been in a revenue-generating role for the better part of … Read On >
As concepts and activities, “sales” and “selling” are fundamentally positive, although some people believe that they are bad words.