Business negotiations are not spot transactions.
ADAGE
You Reap What You Sow
———-
RESPONSE
Business negotiations are not spot transactions. They involve either one of a series of transactions or the initial ground rules for a long-term relationship. Don’t negotiate a long-term relationship, or one in a series of transactions, as you would a spot transaction. You will reap what you sow. Leave the other side feeling happy. Before you start negotiating, find out what the other side expects. You may find that you can trim back what you would otherwise have offered and still satisfy them. Within limits, the more extreme your initial demands, the better the results you will obtain. Get the other side to make all of its requests first. Don’t wait for them to gradually reveal their position during the process of item-by-item negotiations. You can tell a lot about a man by the way he negotiates a deal. Never allow a lawyer or a CPA to negotiate a deal. You, as principal, should negotiate directly, principal to principal. If the other principal insists on you negotiating with his lawyer, walk away. Always employ the one-page deal sheet. Never employ the good cop, bad cop schtick.
SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 11:18 (NASB 1995) The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
QUESTIONS
How do the Scripture(s) apply to the business adage?
Do you need to alter your negotiating approach while dealing with a secular company as compared to a Christian enterprise? If so, how?
How did Abraham negotiate with God? How did God allow Israel to bargain with Him? How is a covenant like a bargain?
Your lawyer wants you to put several onerous provisions in an agreement you’re negotiating to “protect” you should your partner not follow through. Does God assume the worst? If so, how and what does He do to “protect” Himself?
What is the difference between a covenant and a deal?
Are the Ten Commandments a deal template?
DOWNLOAD
Download the free PDF worksheet for this adage, print it, and use it in your meeting, conference, or group.
