FNC Roundtable

Thanks to everyone who attended either in person or on the phone. I hope that those of you on the phone could hear well enough for it to be helpful.

As an follow up, I am attaching my Negotiation Session Outline so that you can see how all the pieces were at least supposed to work together.

To put what we talked about into practice, I would welcome comments here, especially on two topics:

• Controlling the “wringing of the washcloth” we experience in our negotiations with our clients (about time, deadlines, features or price).
• Negotiating as if implementation mattered, is a very healthy way for both FNC and its clients to look at how it forms its agreements. What would you suggest we negotiate with our clients that would help with implementation?

Next Steps

I will be adding all of the documents we refer to into the 2007 Meeting Info page under the appropriate meeting and topic. That way you will not need to track back through the different posts to find the material.

Next Topic

Evaluating People

Here are 5 case studies we will be using in our discussions on Thursday, February 22. You should be thinking about them between now and then taking into account the readings we have assigned.

You will want to consider:

1. Negotiating from Interests not Positions

People: Separate the people from the problem
Interests: Focus on interests, not positions
Options: Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do
Criteria: Insist that the result be based on some objective standard

2. BATNA, or Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement

3. Preparation

4. Drawing the line in price negotiations

5. Negotiating as if implementation mattered

Now, here are our case studies:

Case Study #1: Buying a Car

• How many of you like to buy cars?

Why does everyone hate to buy cars?

Convinced you will not get the best deal (makes us anxious)?

Don’t enjoy the amount of time it takes to reach a decent deal?

Don’t feel emotionally up to the challenge?

Afraid you will be stuck with a car salesperson you do not like (or is not listening to you, or…)?

Here are some great materials to help everyone get ready for our next session: Negotiation. February 22, 2007. You should go ahead and download them right now.

The first reading is called Draw the Line in Price Negotiations and is taken from a chapter in Solution Selling by Michael Bosworth

The second reading is one of the Harvard Business Review’s On Point Collections. This one is called HBR Masterful Negotiating.

Next week we will start laying out some quick case studies we will examine during the meeting.

If you have not yet started reading, don’t forget that our text for this meeting is “Getting to Yes: How to Negotiate Agreement Without Giving In” by Fisher, Patton and Ury. We still have some left in the library; just ask Chip Bolton or Neil Olson for a copy—we have not only paperbacks but an audio version.

This is a very important book on negotiations, so you will want to consider buying your own copy.HBR Masterful Negotiating 2d EditionHBR Masterful Negotiating 2d Edition

Topic 2 Negotiation (A Preview for Next Meeting)

Don’t forget to review and comment on the notes from our meeting on Collaboration (below). The price of admission to the next session is to make a comment on the blog.

Topic 2 is negotiation and the book club selection that goes along with it is the book “Getting to Yes: How to Negotiate Agreement Without Giving In” by Fisher, Patton and Urby

To get everyone started we have ordered 10 copies of the book for the Oxford office along with an audio version that will be in a lending library. Talk to Chip Bolton next week if you would like to borrow a copy. We will also have 5 copies in California along with an audio version for use as well.