Last week I had two canceled flights, a car service that didn't show up, a cab driver who didn't know where he was going, a missed flight connection that forced me to stay overnight in Philadelphia, and a train that hit a tree and got stuck.
Despite this, I still made it to all my destinations relatively on time, which is significant as I had seminars for about 400 lawyers and business professionals in these various places..
What does this have to do with negotiation? Negotiating with travel-related entities can be extremely challenging.
I was surprised. We had developed a strategic negotiation plan and researched and considered a variety of possible reactions to our proposal. Yet his initial approach caught us off guard. In fact, it was inconsistent with our evaluation of his long-term interests and needs.
What should we do? How should we respond?
Almost everyone has a similar negotiation story - you do your homework and due diligence and seem prepared for almost anything. But then your counterpart throws you a curveball.
If the unpredictable happens, do this:
I made several significant purchases during the holidays (including a car) and these negotiations highlighted four lessons that apply in almost all negotiations.
• You have to ask.
It's a basic point, but one that many just don't do. In most negotiation situations, it doesn't hurt to ask for a discount. Even if it's not traditionally viewed as a "negotiation," like in many U.S. retail environments, the worst he can say is "no."
