Negotiation Is Not A Race (why it's ok to slow down, have a break, or take a step back in your business)
I can’t even being to count the number of times I’ve heard a business person say “I want the deal done yesterday!”
Or how many times I’ve heard completely unrealistic negotiation closure targets volleyed about as though concluding an important business discussion was as simple as snapping your fingers.
And I get it – things move fast in business – and if we’re not on the cutting edge and ahead of the pack, we feel like we’re losing out on something. Or worse – we feel as though our business is failing.
So we race. We race to lock in prices. To write letters. To get agreement on contract language. Race race race. Ouf. Success!
Or is it?
Lately, I’ve not been posting here on the site – not having any new articles to share with you has been very frustrating for me, as I pride myself on being reliable, consistent and always following through on my commitments. But posting each week would have meant racing – and cutting corners. I’ve got about 5 articles on the go at any given time (this brain of mine loves negotiation, and simply won’t quiet down!) but none of them are ‘there’ yet. Some are close – not even close to perfect, just close to a perfectionist’s version of ‘good enough’ – but close doesn’t cut it with me.
You see, I’m incapable of half-assing it. I came into this world with 2 settings. ‘No way José’ and ‘All in’. And when it comes to business and negotiations especially, I think that’s the way to go.
“Your business is too important to half-ass it.”
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It’s ok that your negotiation wasn’t done yesterday. It’s ok if your next book or article is going to take a few more weeks of tweaking to get it right. It’s ok if you step off of the hamster-wheel and take a look at where you are, and where you want to go with your business before taking any further action. The important thing is that the next contract you sign, the next client you bring onboard, the next product you ship isn’t done half-assed. Take the time, do it right.
What’s on the ‘close, but not there yet’ list in your business? How have you overcome the need to be constantly achieving or producing? Would it surprise you to know that I listened to the SOS Band’s ‘Take Your Time’ while writing this article…and took a few dance breaks? Give a shout over on Twitter @devonmsmiley and let me know!