How Learning to Negotiate Can Change Your Life (1/3)
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO BE PAID?
I remember my first job interview like it was yesterday. I walked into the beautifully furnished office confidently. I knew that I had all the skills to be an asset to the company. They needed someone to teach English to their Russian-speaking staff.
I turned on all the charm I could muster and boldly sold myself to the manager of the IT Company.
To be honest, I was nervous. I had not taught English to anyone in a formal setting. And these were professional guys!
I had the skills, but I didn’t have much experience. But I thought to myself, “I speak good English, I have a lot of experience in public speaking, and I get along well with people… How hard can it be?”
I took my time to explain my teaching strategy to him, and I made sure to sound professional as I did so.
The interview went superbly well. Andrei, the manager, looked genuinely impressed. He even called one of his staff to join the meeting. I soon had him too eating out of my hands.
As the interview ended, Andrei asked how much I wanted to be paid. At that instant, I literally felt my confidence crumble as I struggled to come up with a suitable answer. I wanted to negotiate, but I didn’t even know how to begin.
It was then that it struck me how unprepared I was for the simple question;
“How much do you want to be paid?”
TO NEGOTIATE OR NOT TO NEGOTIATE…
Have you walked into a retail store, decided what to buy, and gone ahead to negotiate the price with the lady at the cash register? Of course not!
Have you ever wondered why you cannot walk into a shopping mall and bargain with the prices of the items being sold?
To excel in negotiating, the first thing to conquer is your mind-set. But, some would say that bargaining is for hard-nosed business tycoons. While others believe it is only for the shrewd street merchant.
Then some people have not even thought twice about negotiating. Unfortunately, this is the category I fell under, and it cost me dearly. I missed an opportunity to make a great deal because I did not know the importance of negotiating. In fact, I did not recognize the opportunity was there until it was too late…
…stay tuned for part 2
THE CULTURE OF NEGOTIATION and WHEN TO NEGOTIATE
