Win.Win ls For Losers

(Continued.frttm page 52 ) they want from a deal than the opposite party seems to. Don't fall into that trap. They aren't going to agree to any deal where you are the only one to benefit. For all you know, they may be going through a divorce, job transfer, illness, need cash, have tax problems, or some other situation that you are helping them to resolve.

There was a story in the newsPaPer a few years back about a man who was running off with his secretary after telling his wife he wanted a divorce. Befbre he left town to vacation with his new sweetheart, he hastily called his wife and told her to sell his Mercedes for "as much as you can get" and send him the money in the Bahamas. She sold the brand new car fbr $l. Now, the buyer definitely got a good deal, but he needn't have felt bad. The wife found immeasurable satisfaction in sending her ex-husband a check for a single dollar. There could literally be a million reasons why someone wants to buy or sell, the fairness of which is not our concern. Obviously, if they are mentally infirm, you should not take advantage.

Barcain with your own interests in

A NEW ERA OF ,Tlhis

mind and assume the other party will do the same. One family had some large, unused items cluttering up their garage so they called a company to come over to see how much it would cost to haul it away. After looking at the freezer, file cabinets, and other assorted pieces of furniture, the company quoted $200. The family told them they would have to think about it and reminded the company that if they had to come back to do the job, it would cost more time and money fbr gas. At that point, the haulers otfered to drop the price to $175. The family stalled, suggesting that they might call in a non-profit group who would gladly accept the items and take them away for free. After a little more back and forth, the two parties eventually settled for $l10. The family was prepared to pay at least $150-the minimum cost of having to do the job themselves so they won big. On the other hand, the hauling company still got $110 which, for them, meant they won a little as well. Certainly this was not a win-win but more of a win bigwin small result.

To win big you must see an opening and go fbr it. If a martial artist is going to break a brick with his hand, he cannot hesitate or he is more likely to break his wrist than the brick. If you are selling a house and still thinking of all of the fond memories it contains, you will not get the best deal because your emotions will make you hesitate. It's probably better to wait until your focus is on your next house before putting this one on the market. year, Hampton Affiliates has launched a new strategic growth initiative that will add a new product line to our existing capabilities and increase our production volume by over 300/0. The company has expanded into Canada with the purchase of Babine Forest Products and Decker Lake Forest Products, both producing a wide range of dimensional and specialty items in 5pruce-Pine-Fir. The mills are located in Burns Lake, British Columbia, and have a combined annual capacity of 375 mmbf. These new facilities will complement Hampton's five existing production operations in Oregon and Washington, including Willamina Lumber Company, currently ranked number one in overall single-site lumber volume for US manufacturers. This expansion makes Hampton the eighth largest lumber producer in North America with an annual capacity of 2 billion bf. ln addition, the company's trading and distribution operations make available to our global customers another 1 .5 billion bf of lum ber and panel products, supported by Hampton's highly effi cient transportation, reload and just-in-time delivery services. It's now easier than ever for existing as well as new customers to get the right selection, in the right volume, for the right price, and delivered at the right moment. Contact us to hear more about our expanding product line.

Believe it or not, many people negotiate with the intention to fail. Watch the words you say or think when a negoliating opportunity ariscs. If you hear yourself saying, "I'11 try" or "l'll do nry best," you are defeatcd before you even begin. These words say that you are playing to lose because you're giving an excuse for not winning. Instead, replace defeatist scripts with, "When I win... " or "When I get the best deal.. ."

The principle here is "Always negotiate for the best deal you can for your side. Do not be concerned about fairrress as long as the other party can protect his own interests." Start out with the intention of getting the best deal you can and you will.

- Michael "Soon" Lee, MBA, is a proJ'essional speaker, president ol Ethno' Conncct: The Multicultural Salcs Solution, and author ry' Black Belt Negotiating. He c'an be reached at (925) 829-9700 or via www.ethrutconne (t .conl.