Tag: women in business

Exploring the idea of win-win negotiation? This video will give you a new perspective on what it involves. Using a simple story format, I will show you how collaborative problem-solving skills can be used to resolve issues in everyday life. This is a fun overview of the win-win approach

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Get ready for your next salary review or job interview. In this video, I talk you through the process of researching what you’re worth. Then I explain how to open the salary negotiation, rather than simply saying ‘yes’ to the first offer an employer makes. Find out how to negotiate a great salary package – not just your paycheque – and learn how to sound confident during salary discussions.

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When you accepted your current position, did you negotiate your salary? If you’re a woman, chances are your answer to this question is ‘no’.

In my coaching practice, I’ve helped countless women overcome nerves about negotiating their salaries. Here are my top five tips for negotiating a fair, reasonable and equitable salary the next you’re accepting that job offer.

Benchmark salary and conditions in your industry

It’s obvious you won’t be able to negotiate well if you don’t know what is reasonable in your industry. To ensure that you’ve done your homework and know what’s going to be a fair deal for you check the website of your professional association, speak to recruiters or talk to colleagues who work in other organisations. Ask them about the typical salary range for jobs that are similar to yours.

Make sure you know what you’re worth before going into that interview. Read more

Women often tell me stories of negotiations in which they gave away too much. Following these interactions, the storytellers report feeling manipulated or taken advantage of. I’ve noticed a common theme running through these stories—and it’s a theme I’m all too familiar with myself. Having too much sympathy for your counterpart can reduce your ability to hold appropriate boundaries in negotiation.

Here’s an example from my own experience. A few years ago, I was outsourcing a writing task through a freelancing portal. The woman I selected presented as a native English speaker, with extensive experience in creating resources around the topic area. She seemed ideal. But when she supplied the first draft, I was seriously concerned. This is the point at which I should have terminated the contract. Instead, though, I did what many women do in tough situations. I tried to be nice. Read more

Wondering how to take a win-win approach to negotiation? You’ll find useful insights in this short video featuring ten quotes about negotiating from the win-win perspective. They neatly capture what win-win negotiation is all about, as well as giving you some clues about how to do it well. Once you’ve finished watching the video, take your learning to a deeper level by listening to my free podcast on handling objections during negotiations.

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Do you want to stop negative people stalling conversations during meetings? Are you sick of making proposals, only to have them dismissed by whiners? Are you fed up trying to close a sale, only to find objections are putting a barrier in the road to success? If these situations are frustrating you, you need to learn how to handle objections like a master negotiator.

In my course, Negotiation Skills for Women, we cover a range of techniques women can use to overcome objections in both formal and informal negotiation settings. Here’s a quick rundown on the advice I give to participants in these classes.

Ask exploratory questions

Highly skilled negotiators don’t stop when they hear objections. Instead, they adopt a mindset of exploration. They ask questions to uncover what’s going on for the person who has raised the issue. They do this because they know that handling an objection is always easier when you understand what’s prompting it. Useful questions to ask include “What makes you say that?” or “What are you concerned about here?” Get lots more tips on this in my free podcast, Handling Objections Without Sounding Pushy. Read more

Want to know how to handle objections when you’re negotiating at work? This video is a practical introduction to this sticky topic. Discover how to prevent objections bogging down your discussion. See how to dig beneath an objection to uncover your negotiation counterpart’s key needs and concerns and use discovery questions to move beyond impasse states.

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Your negotiation style influences your power stance and tactics during negotiation. For example, if you take a low-status power stance, your tactics are likely to promote others meeting their needs at your own expense. Or, if you take a stronger power stance, you may get others off side by using communication tactics which are perceived to be aggressive.

Effective negotiators are aware of the impact of negotiation style on their results. They are flexible in working across a range of styles, depending on their contexts. Knowing what your own baseline negotiation style is, can help you to develop this sort of flexibility. Read more

Power-up your negotiation skills with tips on how to feel confident when negotiating. Learn five strategies to heighten your influence during negotiations. Find out how to define your outcome before opening a negotiation. Build a back-up plan that will strengthen your position.

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Are you a nervous negotiator? If you’re a woman, it isn’t surprising if you are. Around 70% of women feel nervous preparing for negotiation scenarios. So what do the remaining 30% of women do differently to the rest of us?

The most important action they take is being well prepared. Here are the top five ways that you can be like excellent female negotiators and beat negotiation nerves through great preparation.

Build a strong back-up plan

The best way to nip negotiation nerves in the bud, is to know exactly what you’ll do if you’re not happy with where the discussion is going. This is why you need backup plan. Your backup plan is your plan for what you’ll do if you walk away without closing the deal. Read more