Self Help

1. Should You Negotiate by Telephone or in Person? Most negotiations are multimedia events, conducted in part by telephone, in part by personal contact, and some by correspondence. Trust your instincts. Go with your abilities. Try to communicate through the means you feel are most advantageous to your style.

Each person should evaluate his or her own style and ability on the telephone. Some people are more effective on the phone. Others are more effective in person. Some get flustered in face-to-face encounter but can maintain a confident manner while on the phone. Some people have a commanding telephone voice. Through voice alone they can be: persuasive in negotiations as silver-throated radio disc jockeys can to soothing to listeners.

While many people find that most of their negotiations or business transactions are over the telephone, sometimes the type of negotiation will determine the method of communication. If you buy a stock, then use the phone. If you want a car, you will communicate face-to-face.

2. If Negotiating by Phone, Be the Caller. If you are negotiating by phone, you should be the caller. If they call you, you may not be fully prepared. The files may not be in front of you. Your research may not be complete. You may not be emotionally “up” for the conversation at that moment. Your first reaction is “What am I going to say?” Gain the advantage: be the caller. Let the other person be the one who isn’t prepared and has to catch up with you. If someone calls you unexpectedly wanting to negotiate, then say, “Let me get back to you.” Make the call when you are prepared, in the right frame of mind and when your adrenalin is pumping.

3. If in Person, Always Try to Negotiate in Your Office: Whenever possible, when negotiations move into an office, you want it to be in yours. The reason is as simple as the home court advantage in sports: You know where things are. You can control the distractions. You have your own people and your own files around. You will be more comfortable on your own turf.

It is no fluke that teams usually play their best at home. It is a proven psychological edge. If your offices happen to be in different cities, or on different coasts, who travels where may give you a reading on how the negotiation will go. If the other party lives in Los Angeles and you’re in Boston, and he’s coming to you, then you can assume he will not fly 3,000 miles to return empty-handed. He is coming to make a deal.