In the mid-1980s Steve Jobs and Heidi Roizen were negotiating a deal when they reached an impasse. Instead of simply giving in to Mr. Jobs' one-sided demands, Ms. Roizen used a negotiation technique that allowed her to bridge the gap and put together a deal that was viable for both of them. Here is a step-by-step guide to using this technique in your own business negotiations.





Comments


Written by lyceum
3822 days ago

megmangaroo: I look forward to your new entries in the future! Negotiation is an important topic for small business owners.



Written by lyceum
3823 days ago

megmangaroo: Thanks for your input! I will read Ms. Roizen's blog post. Do you know about other challenging business negotiations?



Written by megmangaroo
3822 days ago

@Lyceum: No, unfortunately, I don't know about other difficult negotiations...that's because my main focus is business law. I do, however, know many other simple negotiation techniques; those I will continue to share here. I hope they will be helpful to you!



Written by tiroberts
3823 days ago

Really well written article. It really does take a level of skill to be able to negotiate deals, regardless of what's being negotiated. I admit I'm not that great at negotiating and my skills could use a bit more work.



Written by megmangaroo
3823 days ago

@Tiroberts, thank you so much for the compliment! :) As for skill at negotiations, I wasn't a natural either - but it is amazing how helpful the fundamental negotiation techniques can be once you learn them. I intend to continue sharing more of these techniques so I hope they will have the same effect on you that they had on me. :)



Written by lyceum
3824 days ago

As an experienced purchaser, I have done plenty of negotiations during the years. I participated in a course with the title, Negotiating from a Weak Position, so I can related to the issue covered in the blog post. It was fascinating to read how Heidi Rozen turned around the difficult situation into a win-win negotiation with Steve Jobs. It looks that he was pretty stubborn... ;)



Written by megmangaroo
3823 days ago

@Lyceum: Yeah, he really was! In her original blog post Ms. Roizen said he literally tore up her initial proposal in the middle of their negotiation. Talk about harsh! But I like how she kept her eye on the prize and was flexible enough to adjust her approach to fit Mr. Jobs' needs and personality. All in all, I think these are things we negotiators should always aim to do.



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Share your small business tips with the community!
Share your small business tips with the community!
Share your small business tips with the community!
Share your small business tips with the community!