| |
| |
|
Negotiation Information |
|
|
|
How To Make An Inflexible Bureaucrat See You As A Person
Inflexible Bureaucrats Are Characterized by: 1. Cares little about your happiness in life Description The bureaucrat is the grunt of an organization, originally meant for government institutions, but has been broadened to encompass any large organization or company. Bureaucrats include customer service representatives, insurance claims filers, civil servants, social workers, airport employees etc. The bureaucrat typically views his clients as numbers rather than faces and is usually overworked and underpaid and underappreciated. Because of the large volume of contacts that the bureaucrat handles on any given day, they often forget who they are dealing with and you become just another number. How To Deal With The Bureaucrat 1. Be polite and respectful of their position. Too often, the first things out of a customer's mouth is some type of accusatory complain such as, "You people screwed up again." While your anger might be justified, remember that the bureaucrat might not know who you are and will be less inclined to help you if you are verbally abusive towards them. 2. Make sure that they have the authority to negotiate. Make sure you don't waste your time dealing with someone who does not have the authority to negotiate with you. For example, if I was at a restaurant and wanted to order a dessert from the menu, then I would ask for a waiter or a waitress to help me rather than going to the chef or dishwasher. On the same note, make sure you don't automatically demand to speak to their superior because the subordinate will perceive that as a threat and react defensively against your favor. Also, their boss does not usually have the sufficient background information necessary to make a decision on your particular situation and many supervisors do not like overruling the decisions of their subordinates. They are more interested in the level of service that the subordinate provided you with because their expertise is in management. 3. Make sure that they fully understand your situation. Explain your situation in detail and make sure that they understand the problem you are facing before moving on to solutions. The bureaucrat needs to have a firm understanding of your problem in order for them to feel comfortable helping you with anything, so ask them rhetorical questions like, "Do you understand?" "Do you see where I'm coming from?" "Do you have any questions?" 4. Acknowledge their expertise and ask for help. Treat the bureaucrat as an expert in their subject and ask them for advice. Bureaucrats constantly get verbally attacked everyday about being ignorant or not knowing enough, so make yourself stand out and treat them like they had a PhD in their subject. This type of ego-stroking will persuade them to come up with options that you might not have thought of before. 5. Discuss the spirit versus the letter of the law or policy. Often to prove their point, bureaucrats will open up a 900 page company bible or law book and quote to you section, chapter, paragraph, and line of the company policy on why they can't help you. As with any law or policy, there is some leeway for interpretation. There is the letter of the law-the specific words in that policy or law that dictate enforcement, and there is the spirit of the law-the specific intent of the authors who wrote that law or policy. You might want to point out that the policy is good and purposeful, but it does not apply in your case because of your situation does not conform to the original spirit of that law or policy. 6. Determine a fair standard. Discuss with them what is a fair standard for your particular situation. If you are calling them because of a product defect, then what is the fair standard of getting that replaced or refunded? Agree on what is an objective criteria to filter your options through. 7. Have your plan B ready. There is no formula for a 100% successful negotiation, but there is a formula for moving forward regardless of the outcome-and that is your plan B. Have your plan B fully developed and ready to go before dealing with a bureaucrat and you will not only have more confidence negotiating with them, but you will also be able to move forward regardless of the negotiating outcome. About The Author Tristan Loo is an experienced negotiator and an expert in conflict resolution. He uses his law enforcement experience to train others in the prinicples of defusing conflict and reaching agreements. Visit his website at http://www.streetnegotiation.com or e-mail him directly at tristan@streetnegotiation.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Neogtiation: How to be Right Without Making Other People Wrong What exactly are we trying to accomplish by proving to others that we're right? We might win the argument but ultimately lose the relationship. Perhaps a better, deeper-rooted question is this: Why do we lose sight of success, of our big objective, when we feel challenged or intimidated?When I prepare to negotiate, provide a service or turn my employees' talent into performance, I know deep down that if I make people feel valuable they will see my input as having value. Where to FIND the BEST Employees -- Obviously, you might logically say, "that is good!" You would most certainly be on track feeling good about everyone in your area having a job. Getting everyone working and being more self-sufficient is our logical goal. Games are a Reflection of Behavior You are standing on a small stage yelling, "What's the name of the game?!""Win as much as you can!!!" comes roaring back."Who's responsible for your score?!""I am!!"The audience is composed of ninety men, all prisoners in a federal maximum security prison. How to Negotiate Effectively You may be thinking, "Gary, I am a mom, housewife, or stay-at-home dad, so why do I need to know how to negotiate effectively?"I'm glad you asked.The truth is everyone needs to negotiate. Suppliers as Your Partners in Cost Reduction This article is one of the many articles still to come in which I will discuss very basic yet proven techniques that you could use immediately in your encounters with your suppliers.Oh but wait, to find any value in this article, you must be a firm believer that Purchasing strategies have evolved from just 1) focusing on price and 2) focusing on quality, reliability, responsiveness and total cost to a much broader focus of building supplier relationships. Communicating Across Time Horizons There was a time in my life when I sold life insurance. Well, to be frank, I tried to sell life insurance. 7 Tips for Bartering Products and Services What better way to gain a new customer than by getting something you need in return? The following are tips to help you use bartering correctly, and make it a good experience for both you and who you are bartering with.1. The Most Powerful Persuasion Skill Youll Ever Learn Criteria ElicitationThis is without a doubt the most important persuasion skill that you can learn. If you'll learn to apply this to every situation in which you find yourself you'll be amazed at the positive results! Many of the hypnotic skills I'll be sharing with you have a parallel in old sales training techniques. Negotiating Technology Contracts Have you ever tried to negotiate a deal for software, computer equipment, or consulting services with a technology company? The task can be daunting. Unfortunately, the sales forces of most IT companies are armed to the hilt with techniques to get the best deal for them, and not necessarily the best deal for you. Can a Corporate Executive Really Use The Beautiful Mind; To guide decision making? I would like to comment on the "A Beautiful Mind" movie and the book, which was actually much better. I just finished reading another book on the similar side of John Nashs' assertion of working together rather than competing against. The Ultimate Truth in Persuasion OK, so you want to improve your persuasion power right?Why? What's your intention?As you know your intent directs the flow of energy in your interactions with others. So doesn't it just make sense to have in mind a really clear and strong intent before you engage in your powerful persuasion mission. Better Internal Proposals A colleague of mine has a problem. We belong to the same association and he's been trying for quite some time, without success, to get support for one of his proposals. Negotiations: The Art, Science, & Sport of Online Deals Negotiations can seem as complex as physics, and in fact, people go to college to study the science of negotiating just as they would the laws of nature. At the same time, negotiation is like an ancient art form, some sort of Zen mental jujitsu. A One Stop Financial Solution Amy Wright, 34, was extatic when her realtor showed her the three bedroom townhome overlooking the lushious golf course. It was exactly the home she was looking for. Are You Scaring Away Potential Customers? When you are trying to make a sale and ask someone to fill out a credit application and new account form, do your potential customers turn around and run to the competition?Author Michelle Dunn, in her new book "Become the Squeaky Wheel," explains how you can avoid scaring customers away and keep them coming back. First, find out what your competition is doing, do they have a credit policy? If they do, what is included? What does their credit application look like? How many forms do new customers have to fill out? Do they have good paying customers? Look online, a lot of business website will have their credit applications available online. The Art of Haggling Did you know that at one time in this country that there were no fixed prices on anything. You would go into a store and find an item you needed then you would begin the process of negotiating the price. While Youre Waiting Not long ago, I made a partnership pitch, on behalf of an organization I represent, to another organization with similar interests. If the idea had come to fruition, it would have radically changed our organization. Barter: Its Not Just for Doctors Anymore Time was, in the country, the local "doc" was as likely to get paid with a couple of chickens as a couple of dollars. Doctors these days won't stand for that, of course, but while some people have moved completely away from barter and stayed there, others have embraced it wholeheartedly. Embarrassed To Discuss Your Prices? Seven Common Reasons We Cant Talk About Them Last week, a wonderfully-skilled electrician installed a new light fixture for us. He was competent, courteous and efficient. Lets Make a Deal Smart buyers will always ask for a better price. Unfortunately, too many sales people and business owners automatically think that reducing their price is the most effective way to respond to this request.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
