We at Mobus Creative Negotiating point out that much modern negotiating is about the terms for an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time purchase. When making even what looks like a simple purchase like a software program, we should think about the technical support and the future upgrades that the supplier will provide. In The Optimists’ Telescope, Bina Venkataraman explores… read more →
We at Mobus Creative Negotiating have often cited the work of Nobel-Prize-winning economists. Today we turn to a different kind of champion, namely, a poker player. More specifically, Annie Duke – a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, the winner of the 2004 Tournament of Champions and the only woman to win the NBC National Poker Heads Up Championship. She… read more →
In the world, many firms are subcontracting out activities that in past decades they would have had employees do. Why is that? One of the modern economic theories which we use at Mobus Creative Negotiating is transaction cost economics by Nobel-Prize-winning economist John Williamson. He developed and expanded the work of Ronald Coase from the 1930s. The basic question they… read more →
Charles Lamb is a Johns Hopkins University brain surgeon who studies creativity and speaks about his work in a way any layman can follow; see https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_limb_your_brain_on_improv/transcript . He admits that his speciality is a little odd; as he puts it, “I have never had a patient tell me, ‘I really want you to be creative during surgery.’” He is fascinated… read more →
We at Mobus Creative Negotiating are constantly checking out the latest research to see what can help negotiators. We often talk about “behavioral economics” which one recent survey described as follows: “Much of behavioral economics consists in using psychological insights to influence behavior. These interventions tend to be small, often involving subtle changes in how choices are presented” (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/opinion/sunday/behavioral-economics.html). Debates… read more →
We at Mobus Creative Negotiating have long taught techniques for negotiating by phone as well as face to face. Well, that’s becoming passé. Phoning is so 20th century: no millennials speak on a phone. To quote an August 9, 2018, Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/08/09/want-better-customer-service-dont-call-text, “Some 20 million businesses now use Facebook Messenger each month to talk to their customers.” Facebook’s… read more →
My Costco Negotiation Story I do media development here at Mobus Inc. Needless to say, I am immersed in negotiating training material and have attended the Mobus seminar numerous times. Within the first few months of working at Mobus I started to ask myself, “Have I become a better negotiator as a result of being exposed to all this material?” I… read more →
Most people would rather walk away from a deal with nothing rather than take an offer they consider unfair.
Taking the tension, apprehension and conflict out of the process can help a negotiator approach the task with a more productive attitude: it’s not such a grave and arduous ordeal to be dreaded but an opportunity to have some fun while trying to create a better deal.
Dilbert, the Negotiator, from Scott Adam’s comic strip provides an endless reservoir of insight into the business world.
Dilbert the negotiator counters the anchor tactic. In today’s strip (12 Feb 2015) he gets the better of guy who is attempting to use a negotiating tactic, the anchor.
Doctors negotiate every day, almost constantly, yet they receive almost no formal instruction in how to do so.
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