Practical Negotiating: Tools, Tactics & Techniques

Example: Before and After

The following is an example of an employee negotiating with her boss, before and after learning negotiating skills:

Before

BOSS:	Sharon, I need you in Pittsburgh tomorrow to investigate the Apco claim.
EMPLOYEE:	But, Frank, I’m already working on several claims in Florida right now. You remember, that was last week’s fire!
BOSS:	I wish it could be different; you’ll just have to squeeze it in somehow! Let me know how it goes.
EMPLOYEE:	[Frustrated] Why is it always like this, Frank? I guess I have no choice, but this is really going to be a stretch.
BOSS:	I promise I’ll never do it to you again, Promise!
EMPLOYEE:	Yeah!

After

BOSS:	Sharon, I need you in Pittsburgh tomorrow to investigate the Apco claim.
EMPLOYEE:	It sounds like that’s top priority. As you know, I’m working on several Florida claims right now. But, if you really need me in Pittsburgh, I have several suggestions: Assign an extra person to Florida, and alert the Pittsburgh office that I’ll need a local person to work with me tomorrow. (Expand resources.)
BOSS:	That might work, but you said you had several ideas.
EMPLOYEE:	If the extra resources aren’t available, then slip the schedule on the Florida tasks for another week. (Extend the schedule.)
BOSS:	We could, but all these jobs are critical.
EMPLOYEE:	Okay, Frank, the only other time I have is serving on the Standardization Task Force. You could assign that to someone else. (Change specification or task.)
BOSS:	Okay, let me check out these options. I’ll call you ...