The Apprentice - Episode 5

Negotiating - we all have to do it, and we start young - "I will stop crying if you pick me up/feed me/ change me"

We negotiate with ourselves - "I won't have a drink tonight and then I can have a big night on Friday". With our partners - "you pick them up on Friday and then I will take to swimming on Saturday", and of course at work it goes without saying - we negotiate all the time.

Last Wednesday night on The Apprentice, James from Team Summit highlighted perfectly how not to do it. He was blunt, overly forceful, did not listen, impolite, interrupted others, made insultingly low offers and at times was stuck like a broken record. Those around him cringed with embarrassment. The problem for James is not what he is trying to get (the lowest possible price for his team) it's how he is trying to get there.

If it is true that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients / customers, then James' style of influencing and negotiating is going to really let your down because clients simply won't want to do business with him, and in today's competitive market, they will find someone else to do business with.

At Impact Factory, we believe influencing and negotiating should go hand in hand. We run monthly courses that look at building relationships, finding ways for people to want to negotiate with you, finding ways to be collaborative where possible and still not give too much away and get a great price / deal etc.

Enter Mark from Team Tenacity - he negotiates in way that makes us proud! Charming, clear, polite, he listens to the client and gauges his offer accordingly. He got a fantastic price for his tour and you could tell the lady from Blenheim palace enjoyed the encounter.

I believe Alan Sugar has his eye on Mark and James to go - soon I hope!

Check out our Influence and Negotiation, Communication and Line Management courses

Tina Lamb, Impact Factory, Senior Trainer Consultant