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
3626 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
3628 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
3627 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
3628 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
3628 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
3628 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
3628 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!