Planning a negotiation doesn't have to take weeks. Or 25+ pages of strategy.
It can be boiled down to 3 key questions. Questions that will get you out of 'flying by the seat of your pants-mode' and into cool, calm and collected strategic negotiator-mode.
Read on to discover these 3 questions, and download your free negotiation planner.
Read MoreIn business, knowledge can take you far. So can a winning personality, or great connections. But what secures the longevity of that success and a steady stream of referrals and repeat clients will be your credibility. Establishing strong professional credibility can take a long time, but losing it can happen quickly. Here are the 3 Golden Rules to maintaining the reputation you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Read MoreThere’s no such thing as a stupid question.
There is; however, such thing as a question that unknowingly limits your business potential. It’s a question that we ask to others and ourselves without even realizing the power of our words.
Today I’m sharing that question with you – and showing you how one small change can make a world of difference to your business results.
Read MoreOver the past 2 months, I’ve spent a lot more time listening to recordings of my own voice than I’m comfortable with. It makes me cringe, each and every time. I’ve dipped my toes into webinars, audio recordings of my blog posts, and free training calls. After years spent ‘finding my voice’ in my blog posts, I am now finding my voice all over again in these new formats.
Today, I want to share with you what I’ve learned – and my 3 top tips for finding your voice and speaking with confidence, conviction and persuasiveness.
Read MoreUs entrepreneurs are a motivated bunch. Lots of ideas, heavy doses of inspiration, and an unmatched drive to achieve greatness for our business.
But there are those days…those days when we feel very far away from reaching our goals, and are struggling to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and ask – again – for something that we need or want.
Maybe we’re pitching a new client. Or we could be submitting a manuscript to a publisher for the tenth time. Some of us are working up the courage to hop on the phone just one more time with a potential client in hopes that we’ll get the ‘Yes! I can’t wait to work with you!’ that we’ve been dreaming of.
When what you’ve been doing hasn’t been working, and hearing those NOs is bringing you down, here’s the inside scoop on how to bounce back, and keep on keepin’ on.
Read MoreOne of my favourite business quotes is from Kendrick Shope:
“All things being equal, friends buy from friends. All things being unequal, friends buy from friends.”
The same principle applies even if you’re not in sales mode. Relationships – friendships – are one of the must-have tools in running a business, and learning how to cultivate strong, healthy relationships will take you far.
Read on to find out how...
Read MoreFocus is good. Focus is great. Focus gets us where we need to be…most of the time.
But it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, and lose perspective in our businesses. Creativity dwindles, opportunities pass us by, and we’re working so very hard…but not seeing the kind of results we’re looking for.
Snap out of it by ditching the tunnel vision and getting some new perspective – here’s how…
Read MoreOne of the best things about having your own business is the sense of pride and ownership you feel. You’re in it. You love it. You set big audacious goals and you knock them out of the park on the regular.
But all that investment of energy and time can lead you to some major frustrations when things aren’t working out as planned. Maybe a deal fell through. Or a client isn’t paying. Or your exciting launch, flops.
Uncovering ways to deal with frustration and its byproducts is important to break you out of those funks and get yourself motivated again – read on to find out how.
Read MoreOoooooeeeeee! The end of the year is fast approaching. Scratch that. It’s here!
And all of those plans we had to improve our business this year – the new deals, the ideal clients, the solid systems – this is crunch time for executing on those.
Sometimes, coming up against a deadline – even if self-imposed – can make us play a bit fast and loose when it comes to the quality we’re delivering, especially when it comes to a negotiation.
Picture it: You’re in the thick of a discussion with a potential new client, and all that stands between you and the achievement of your annual targets is to give in on a teensy tiny, itty bitty element of the agreement. Except – normally, you’d never agree to it. And yet, in the rush to close off, you have.
Read on for tips on how to avoid settling for a less-than-stunning result, even when the heat is on.
Read MoreIn our ideal world, business deals would always be wins. Every client we contact leaps at the opportunity to work with us (at full asking price!), each vendor we get a quote from comes in under target (and throws in a few bonuses!), and every agreement moves swimmingly from hello to handshake.
But in reality, our businesses aren't quite such smooth sailing. Despite best efforts and investing all sorts of energy we can end up stuck in discussions that aren't going anywhere. And then what? Do we keep trying? Settle for whatever deal we can cobble together? Or do we walk away - and live to negotiate another day.
We'll be taking a look at how to make that decision - how do you know when it's time to walk away from a negotiation? Read on to find out...
Read MoreCan I negotiate this? Should I negotiate this? Have I pushed too far? Or not far enough…?
The answer to each of these is a phenomenally frustrating “It depends”.
It can be difficult to decipher exactly when you should be asking for a change to an agreement, or a better price, or even a different method of engagement with a client or a vendor. Here, I’ve pulled together some guidelines on how to tell if you should pursue a negotiation…or back off. Read on to find your path forward.
Read MoreOh crap. You’ve goofed. A mistake has been made and you’re mighty embarrassed by it. What do you do?
What you want to do is hide under the covers and try and pretend it never happened…and hope no one will notice.
Sigh. But we all know that’s not the best way to handle making a mistake (after all, ‘hope is not a strategy’).
Here’s your 3 step process to how to admit that you’ve made a mistake, and how to make it right.
Read MoreBinding agreements. Our contracts outline what our responsibilities are, how they’re to be performed, when, by whom and – the highlight – how much it’s going to cost. Entering into a business relationship without a contract can be risky. But so can signing one if it doesn’t have all the right ingredients to protect us.
One of the biggest questions to ask yourself before signing a contract is “What if…?”
The clauses that help cover you in these instances are what I like to call the escape clauses. The ones that let you re-open a negotiation to change terms that no longer work for you, and the ones that give you an opportunity to say goodbye.
Let’s look at how these clauses can come into play for your contracts.
Read MoreThe first time I swore was while on vacation in Florida with my family. I was about 13, and had dropped my copy of Wuthering Heights into the hotel pool. As it landed, a great big s-bomb flew out of my mouth. I looked at my Dad, and it was one of those moments where you’re filled with fear…but also pride that you’ve somehow crossed over from childhood to adolescence.
My repertoire has expanded since then, and frankly, sometimes I surprise myself. But, I still consider myself to be poised, polite and professional…so I choose my audiences and timing carefully.
Is it appropriate to swear in a negotiation? Does it hurt your cause? Or can it actually move you forward? Let’s take a closer look at the 3 things you need to consider before dropping a bomb…
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