Negotiation 101: How To Sell Design Ideas To Skeptical Clients

5 persuasive tactics for faster buy-in

ROBERT HOEKMAN, JR- You know that nervous feeling you get when you recommend something to clients?

It’s because you know they’re going to wonder why, and you’re going to have to spit out some sort of explanation. And you're going to stutter through it with meaningless phrases: "That’s how it’s usually done." "I think this is the way to go."

Instead, enter the discussion with a solid argument in your back pocket. To truly convince a client, nothing beats a lucid, coherent argument based on evidence. You may be a designer, but when it comes to pitching an idea, you have to act like sales rep. Here are five techniques for making the sale.

1. LISTEN AND REPEAT THEIR WORDS

Oftentimes, your client is trying to tell you things they don’t know how to express. Your job as a designer is to pick through the subtleties and pull out the truths they’re not being explicit about. Before you can make a case for any kind of solution, you need to know what the problem is. And that means listening.

Listening helps you determine what the constraints of a project really are, what the client’s concerns and goals really are.

Read more from FastcoDesign.com [HERE]. 

New Voices - 2016

Calling all Conflict Specialists newly entering the field

Juried selection for 
featured presentation at the

2016 ACR Annual Conference

How to Cool Down a Heated Negotiation

(Jeff Weiss/HBR)- Many people fear that no matter how they prepare, their negotiation will spiral into an unproductive debate or a shouting match. Even if you’re approaching the negotiation with a collaborative, joint problem-solving mindset, it’s possible that things will get heated. You know when it’s happening: Perhaps you feel yourself getting emotional. You sense that your blood pressure is rising, that you’re becoming angry or anxious. Maybe your counterpart is doing the same. The volume might be getting louder, or one or both of you have started to yell.

1. Listen to what your counterpart is saying. Let him vent. Some people need to boil over as a kind of release. After yelling or banging the table, they might calm down by themselves. Don’t always feel you need to respond to the outburst. If you can, let it go and move on to a more productive way of interacting.
2. Show you’ve heard him. Calmly paraphrase what you heard. Acknowledging the reason that your counterpart got upset can often help turn things around. Sometimes people just want to be heard.

Read more at HBR.com [HERE]. 

Ask a Recruiter: The Top 6 Salary Negotiation Mistakes

(Caitlin Williams, PayScale-) Salary negotiation is a normal step in every job offer process. Not negotiating means leaving money on the table, but negotiating poorly can be just as dangerous. Not to give away the recruiter "secret sauce," but before you accept that new job offer, make sure to avoid these top salary negotiation mistakes. Trust me, I've seen them all!

1. NOT Negotiating. 

Sure, negotiating can be awkward, but not negotiating is a costly mistake. 

Keep in mind that your starting salary is the financial foundation for your time at a particular company. It is much more difficult to make salary strides once you're in your position.

3. Coming Unprepared. 

I can't stress this enough: do your homework. Even if they've built in a financial buffer in anticipation of negotiations, they're not likely to give that buffer away just because you ask nicely...

Read more at pay scale.com [HERE].