Editorial
negotiation
example, and gift-wrapped than that could
work for the buyer, at that cost.”
Rawlinson’s point is that it is essential
that both parties emerge from the negotiations
as winners. If you enter the negotiation as
some kind of battle, in order to defeat your
opponent and get the most for your party at
the other party’s expense, you are guaranteed
to lose in the long-term. Craig Coltrane, a
media executive in the UK, says: “I have been
in meetings where the other person had the
sole objective of ‘winning’ at any cost. He
paid little attention to what my needs and
interests were. He got the deal but only until
I could find someone else to establish a long-
term relationship with.”
Creativity
The skill of knowing how you can help the
other party to win while not losing yourself is
core to the art, Rawlinson says. “Both sides have
to walk away having won and feel like they
have given and been given something in
return. Are you looking for a win/win or a win/
lose situation? Especially if what you want is an
ongoing relationship, if you screw the other
party, they won’t want to talk to you again. That
is not negotiation, it is bullying.”
Creativity in negotiation is important;
while remembering what your aim is and what
position you can afford to negotiate from, it
means not having an intransigent and illogical
position prior to the all-important meeting.
Weiss says: “Some people have an arbitrary
bottom line. They’ll say ‘I’m not going to give
any more than X’, without having any logic
behind it or any planning if they don’t get it.
Others view negotiations as a game of pre-
planned concessions – ‘gives and gets’ - that
removes their ability to be creative in finding
solutions. Some aren’t open to persuasion,
which typically indicates that they themselves
are not able to persuade.”
Coltrane adds that finding the right
balance is a testing but important quality in
most industries. “As a general rule, people will
want to deal with people that they like. It’s
important to be likeable, of course, but it’s just
as important to know what your limits are and
not to get taken for a ride. If the position you
are coming from is firm but flexible, this is a
good recipe for success.”
Business schools are sitting up and
taking notice of what recruiters say. It could
be that, when students find the top business
school of their choice, that their time is taken
up with marketing, finance and operations
modules. The wise MBA student, it seems,
takes time to look into negotiation and pays
very close attention.
TopMBA CAreer Guide
www.topmba.com 33
MBA_FALL_08_pp_002-065.indd 33 11/8/08 18:17:03
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