I've spent a lot of my lifetime negotiating; whether it be with my husband,my kids, or in my professional life. There truly is no better negotiator, however, than a kid in a grocery store. You can learn a lot from that kid.
I just returned home from watching a five year old with some of the most incredible sales finesse and negotiation skill that I've ever witnessed. I'm sure that I heard his mom say no at least six times to that new cereal he "absolutely had to have." She, strong in her conviction, shook her head to the point that I was slightly concerned about brain bruising. Perhaps there was brain bruising, because when I met up with them again in the checkout lane, the cereal was in the cart.
Kids this age have an amazing propensity to understand that the first "no" is only the beginning of the sales cycle. We can learn so much from this--particularly as women. We women cut and run long before the negotiations are over. Why is that? Fear of rejection? Fear of making a fool of ourselves?
While I'm not conclusive on my answer, what I do know is this ... if we hang in there just a little while longer than we may be comfortable, incredible things can and D0 happen.
The next time you have the opportunity to begin negotiations ... just remember that five year old kid ... what you end up with in your "cart" will probably be a whole lot better than cereal!
To your continued success and significance!
For more information on sales negotiation skills go to http://maureenobrienspeaks.com
1 comment:
What an awesome analogy to use to explain sales negotiation skills!
Post a Comment