by: CYNTHIA FRANCIS

What do you feel when you read the title of this article? A little indignant? Annoyed? You might even feel somewhat insulted, as if your integrity may be compromised. Well, it’s likely you’ve had some of these feelings. But if you want to succeed in negotiating and completing a sound business agreement, then learning how to play the power game means business survival. Not knowing how to be tactful could be the beginning of the end of your business.

The power actually comes from within yourself and it is the message you communicate to clients that conducting business together is good business. In order to play this power game, follow these guidelines and get comfortable with it.


Identify Your Objective
Define your business objective within specific, well-defined guidelines. Do the math. Know your financial guidelines and how you arrived at them. This preparation will give you the confidence of knowing your position. If the prospective client presents new information during the discussion, you’ll have a framework in which to evaluate the adjustment and influence the decision.


Establish Trust
Use the power of mutual trust. There’s less need to employ the power game when mutual trust is established. Let your client know you conduct business fairly and firmly. Work to develop bonds versus barriers. Send the message that by working together you will both secure the most benefits.


Remain Objective about the Business
Separate “you” from “it.” Refer to your product and services objectively, versus personally. If a client is objecting to your product, ask how the product could be more useful. Listen and weigh the cost of including additions to the present proposal as “value-add-ons,” or discuss reasonable up-charges.


Concentrate on the Main Issues
Keep reminding yourself of the main points. Write them down and check them off as they’re covered. Often, valuable time is wasted debating tangents instead of the main issues. If new issues arise, set them aside for another meeting or dispose of them entirely. Allow enough time to discuss important issues completely. Don’t be rushed into hasty decisions. Give yourself enough time to analyze the cost and the value of the changes made to the proposal.


Cooperate, Give and Take: Don’t Capitulate!
Do your homework. Know your latitude and limitations. Research your client, as well as your competition. As various components of your offer are brought up for review, be prepared to explain their value. Don’t get defensive, get expansive. Demonstrate your goal to provide solutions with the best product possible and your willingness to adjust your package to fit their parameters and yours.

Maintain effective body language. Be sure to keep your posture erect, but not rigid. Keep your voice and tone neutral and objective, rather than emotional and defensive. As you reach the various stages of agreement, state your offer, (dropping your inflection at the end), then STOP TALKING. DON’T SAY ANOTHER WORD. Let your client be the next person to speak. You have a much better chance of gaining agreement when you use this technique.

Be patient with several offers and counteroffers. If your client agrees, you’ve concluded a win-win power play. If your client disagrees, it’s not over; it’s simply in the next phase. Ask your client to help you understand the situation from his/her perspective, then look for alternative solutions together. When you make your next offer, all the same guidelines apply.

Be Willing to Walk Away
Know when to say “No”. This is probably the most important rule of the game. Know your bottom line and be prepared to walk away before you agree to something that is not in the best interest of your company. Isn’t the ability to say “No” one of the main reasons you decided to leave the corporate world, to wear ten hats and to work nineteen hours a day? Didn’t you leave to be able to take the credit, to make the decisions, to reap the benefits? Didn’t you leave for the authority to just say, “No, I won’t let you take advantage of me?” Then, get comfortable with the power to walk away from a poor business deal.


Don’t Burn Bridges
End the conversation with a positive message. How you handle the “end” could mean the difference between ending the entire relationship, or ending just this particular deal. Simply say,

“It seems as if we’ve reached an impasse. This proposal offers you the best possible service within reasonable, cost-effective rates. To attempt to provide the same services for less money would not be a good business decision for my company or yours. My company couldn’t provide the same level of quality, and your company would be buying on price rather than value. In the long run, it’s the value we remember and it’s the value that counts.”

It’s not necessary to sound preachy, just confidently aware that your company represents value. Providing real value is influence of the most powerful kind. Feel confident with the power to exercise your influence…and confident with the power to know when to walk away.

Learning to play the power game is a skill. The more you practice, the more effective you’ll become. Don’t shy away from those situations that may make you feel uncomfortable. Treat them as opportunities to practice getting better at business and getting better at the power game.

Cynthia Francis is president of the Francis Group LLC which specializes in custom designing leadership and mentoring cultures, workshops and individual coaching sessions in such areas as interpersonal communications, strategic planning and execution, marketing and sales and many more. For additional information: www.francisgroup.com