20 questions to help you negotiate (and one to avoid)

In Zoomly’s ‘How to negotiate’ workshop (co-created with ‘How to pay less for more’ author Marc Lockley), after participants have practised negotiating with each other, we debrief and ask for insights gained. One of the big ‘aha’ moments people report is the power of asking the right questions – and the perils of asking the… Read more

How to influence without manipulating

  Right at the start of Zoomly’s ‘How to influence and persuade’ workshop, we discuss the importance of influencing for mutual benefit. If that’s your goal, chances are you won’t sink to using manipulation, which is a concern people naturally have about this topic. The simple way to decide if someone’s influencing or manipulating is… Read more

Communication tip: handle both the big picture and detail

Something that I cover in ‘How to influence and persuade’ is taking the time and effort to understand how people take in information and then decide. Most of us have a preference for either the big picture or the detail. So, there are some of us who just ‘want the headline’ or the top 3… Read more

Have you really got a ‘win:win’ – or just a compromise?

  This question frequently comes up in workshops about influencing, persuading and negotiating: “Surely a compromise IS a win:win – right?” Erm, not really – although at first glance, it may appear to be. However, the difference is important, whether you’re negotiating B2B with multiple stakeholders, agreeing terms on your new job contract or deciding… Read more

6 essential steps to prepare for negotiation

When I ask workshop participants to assess their negotiation process, they often realise that a) they may not have one and b) they’ve been neglecting the first essential step: preparation. Author of How to pay less for more and my co-creator of Zoomly’s ‘How to negotiate’ workshop Marc Lockley says that preparation accounts for up… Read more

Negotiation – first do your homework

  According to Marc Lockley, the author of ‘How to pay less for more’ – and co-creator of Zoomly’s ‘How to negotiate’ workshop – 70% of a negotiation is preparation. When I first heard this figure, to say it came as a surprise is an understatement; you could’ve heard my jaw drop. There was a… Read more

What do people really mean when they ask for ‘collaboration’?

For some time now I’ve been doing a fair bit of work around collaboration – at least that’s generally the starting point. Yet when we dig deeper into what’s really going on ‘collaboration’ may be what someone says they want, but isn’t really what they’re after. The harsh reality is they actually want someone else… Read more

Money worries affecting your work performance?

Image by photocosma (Cosma Andrei)   Disclaimer – please take note: I’m not a trained financial advisor, which is why I’ve aggregated specialist resources that have far more knowledgeable people than me working to provide help. I simply want to give information to readers who may be finding it tough right now. 1 in 4… Read more

Influencing isn’t manipulating – keep it R.E.A.L.

The word ‘influence’ is defined by oxforddictionaries.com as, “The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself” and, “The power to shape policy or ensure favourable treatment from someone, especially through status, contacts, or wealth; examples include someone “being a good influence [on another… Read more

Cheap, quick & good: but can you have all three?

Here’s a very valuable lesson I learned from a former boss – and I mean literally valuable, worth money – about how to haggle over three aspects of a project. Our clients at the ad agency where I worked typically wanted every job done to the highest possible standard, in the shortest possible time –… Read more