Day in, day out; week in, week out, year in, year out… And so it goes with people in business. Some succeed. Some do not. Statistically, 95% of businesses fail in the first 10 years! Can you believe that? It almost makes you not want to even try….ALMOST! I’ve been doing this for a while now and I’m definitely successful at it. I’ve helped many others succeed in business as well. Surely, there are scores of skills required to make the business world go ’round but, based on my experience, I have 3 top “must-have” skills that are necessary to truly succeed in business.

In order to succeed in business, you must be able to:

1. Sell – There a large number of sales that have to be made in business, starting with you, yourself! You certainly cannot succeed by selling yourself short. Do that and you’re done before you start. You need to sell a product, service, and/or an idea to buyers/customers. You’ll need to draw a bridge from your prospect’s pain to your product’s solution. That’s the big one! You may need to negotiate with suppliers – that’s a sale. You may need to sell your vision to employees and investors. Sell, sell, SELL!!! Clearly this is a #1 priority, yet, oftentimes, this is neglected and becomes the beginning of the end.
2. Build – In this case, “build” refers to building a team. In business building, one person can only do so much, only go so far. One needs to learn how to leverage others’ talents and skills so as to reach further, perform faster, and remain competitive. Success can be measured directly in one’s ability to leverage a team’s talents. Build a winning team and you will soar!
3. Teach/Learn – Cross-training is important in small business and large. If I can teach you to sell, for example, my talent is leveraged further. Teach others to leverage systems and procedures to work more efficiently; teach others how to grow personally and enhance their own sense of self. Teaching enables replication, replication enables multiplication, and that’s how business prospers. Learning, of course, is just the other side of teaching. Always keep an open mind to new ideas, tricks, and tactics.

Yes, folks, there’s more to it than that. Then again, without these foundation blocks, there may actually be nothing more – you’ll be part of the 95% mentioned above – doomed to FAIL!!!

Negotiation Training

But what exactly is negotiation?

Webster defines negotiation (in the context to which we’re regarding) as arranging for or bringing about through conference, discussion, and compromise.   Researchers, through observation, have found this:

Successful Negotiators Follow These Negotiation Tips

• They plan ahead. They analyze the situation and prepare a strategy.
• They stick to a plan but consider an array of possible options.
• They reiterate points of agreement rather than points of contention, exemplifying an attitude of cooperation.
• They prioritize and assess in accordance with that priority, focusing on the most important things first.
• They avoid aggression, intimidation, sarcasm, negative body language, and talking loudly entirely.
• They never participate in a tit-for-tat downward spiral. In fact, if initiated by the other party, they’ll short-circuit it immediately.

Additional Negotiation Training

1. Know your W.I.N.  What you WANT.  What you INTEND to get.  What you NEED.  If your need isn’t met – you walk, and it is imperative you know this before the negotiation begins.  For example, you are going to negotiate for a car that is $15,000.  You want it for 10 grand, you are willing to go as high as $12,000 but you need to get it for $13,500 or you walk.  Knowing these numbers in advance will give you an edge when you are negotiating.
2. Always negotiate before your service is done.  Your service has a lot more value before it is completed.  For example, let’s say you are going to coach a client on a project and your time is worth $1,000.  Agree on that price beforehand because if you coach him through the project and then ask him for the grand, he holds the upper hand and you do not want that.
3. These SEVEN WORDS, when used correctly, will help you in almost every negotiation.  WHAT IS THE BEST YOU CAN DO?  If you are negotiating on a price of a meeting space and they offer it to you for $1500, simply say you have several options you are considering and ask politely, “WHAT IS THE BEST YOU CAN DO?”  At the end of the negotiation, before you agree, ask one more time.  This time, however, change it up a bit, “IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?”

Using these negotiation tips will help you get negotiation power and, ultimately, the best prices, the best commitments, the best deals.  Now take it to the streets.  Practice makes perfect, of course, and anyone can learn these simple skills to get more of what you want in life without being perceived as an aggressor. The relationships you rely upon to achieve may be just as important, or even more so, than the achievement itself!

Does anyone care to share a negotiation victory?  Please comment below!

To your success!
- Drew

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