Starting Your Own Business Needs Teamwork At First

Starting your own business sounds great, but it usually works better in theory than in practice. Most new entrepreneurs exaggerate the potential drawbacks of forming a partnership because they are afraid of sharing management and ideas with someone who might not agree with them. That fear of losing control of your business can hold you back from creating a successful enterprise. If you feel strongly about doing it all by yourself, there are also top business collaboration benefits can convince you to give teamwork a try.

Additional capital Starting and growing a business can take a tremendous amount of capital. Taking out loans can backfire if your business gets off to a slow start or fails in the long run. One or two partners can invest additional funds into the development of your business without putting your financial stability at risk the way loans would.

Access to valuable experience and advice Teaming up with an experienced professional is a great way to instantly improve your skills and avoid common mistakes.

Exchange of invaluable ideas Brainstorming with other people is the best way to figure out what your business needs to succeed. By bouncing around ideas, you and your partner can come up with brilliant strategies that can take your business to new heights. You can even use digital tools like collaboration apps to communicate new observations and ideas in between your face-to-face meetings.

Well-rounded approach to business development and management There are many different aspects to running a business including management, marketing, accounting, research and operations. You might be great at managing daily operations or networking, but maybe you are not so good at market research. Having a partner who excels in areas that you struggle with can help you build a stronger business.

Less stress and more support Sharing responsibilities and tasks with a partner is the best way to reduce the stress associated with building a new business. Collaboration apps can help you stay in touch with each other and on top of your business, so you can always feel like everything is under control.

Negotiating Your Rent To Make A Fair Rental Rate

Whether you're looking for a new place to rent or it's time to renew your lease, now might be a great time to consider negotiating your rent.

"There should always be some wiggle room, and it's worth a shot now more than ever," says Joe Ewaskiw, a spokesman for the consumer Web site ApartmentRatings.com.

How to Rent: Build Your Case

No matter how convincing you may be, the ultimate arbiter of rent is market demand. Does the property owner have many vacancies? Does he or she have other prospective renters waiting to lease the unit? Knowing what your landlord needs is the first step towards leveraging a deal. Before meeting with the landlord, gather evidence of your reliability – past rent history, proof of income, a good credit report -- whatever demonstrates stability.

Have You Successfully Negotiated With A Landlord?

We're curious to hear from those of you who have successfully negotiated with your landlord. How did you do it? What tips and tricks did you learn? Whether you were able to keep your same rent or negotiate an even lower rate, let's hear what you have to say.

Vote in our poll and leave your tips in the comments.

What's A Fair Rental Rate?

One phrase common to nearly every lease negotiation is "market rate." The landlord or property manager will cite the market rate for a particular rental property as cause for an increase in rent.

This market rate may be culled together from the prices of nearby properties or it may simply be a rate that the landlord needs to charge to make a profit. It may also be related to the cost difference in renting v. buying a house in a particular area.

Make your assets work for you

Having good credit makes your position particularly strong in the current economic climate, where many potential renters have much weaker scores, says Turman.

In Turman's case, he and his wife had owned two previous homes before opting to rent. They had good credit and income. "We put ourselves in the driver's seat and let the (manager)/landlord come to us," Turman says. "We... let them know the desirable qualities we possessed and the concessions they would have to make in order for it to work (price, utilities, etc.)"

As a result, he says, "we have by far the lowest rent of comparables in the neighborhood and love our home."

Write down your terms once you and the seller have agreed on a price. The next phase after a price has been agreed on is the negotiation between you and the seller of the rent-to-own agreement details. Include how long you want the rental period to last, such as three or five years, the highest total monthly payment amount you are financially able to pay and what level of repairs you and the seller are each responsible for. Buyers usually make the repairs in a rent-to-own agreement, but some sellers will assume responsibility for major repairs during the rental period.

Meet with the seller to negotiate the final details. Bring your real estate agent if you are using an agent. Mention any specific issues you have with the rent-to-own agreement terms and consider comprises with the seller in order to complete the deal. Contact an attorney to review the proposed rent-to-own agreement before you sign.

Become A Successful Negotiator To Get What You Want

One way or another we’re always negotiating—whether it’s with our boss for a raise, with our partner for rotation on cleanup duty, or with our kids about their curfew. The key is to get what you want, while keeping those around you happy.

Be willing to negotiate in the first place
　　

Some people are too shy to talk about money. Others think it's rude or demeaning. And in many cases they're right. However, when it comes to doing a deal - and we all have to sometimes - being unwilling to engage in "money-talk" can be a very expensive business.
　　
There are a lot of experienced negotiators out there. If you're buying a house or a car, or taking a new job, you can be sure you'll have to deal with such a person. If they can see you're timid about the whole business, many will take advantage of that fact.
　　
You also shouldn't be shy about turning something that may not immediately appear to be a negotiation into one. If I'm buying a few expensive things from the same store, I'll often ask them to throw something in for free or reduce the price. Just because there's no sign saying you can do that, doesn't mean you can't. Often, simply by asking for something extra I'll get a better deal.
　　
Don't get emotionally involved
　　
One big mistake many amateur negotiators make is to become too emotionally attached to winning. They shout, threaten and demand to get their way. This is all counter-productive.
　　
Most deals are only possible if both people feel they're getting something out of it. If the person across the table feels attacked, or doesn't like you, they probably won't back down. Many people hate bullies, and will be more willing to walk away from a transaction if it involves one.
　　
Here are the keys to becoming a successful negotiator.
　　
The Opening: This is not a begging session, nor is it demeaning to ask for what you want. It's an honorable exchange. However, don't come in making unreasonable demands. Keep in mind that this is a give and take, and keep it respectful. Signal your intention to get what you want, but be prepared to offer something in return.
　　
Know that it is not personal: This is the undoing of any meaningful strategy in a negotiation. Being emotional has no place. Fix your mind on the goal, not on how you feel - betrayed, overlooked, left out, under-compensated, unacknowledged. Anger and resentment foreclose any deal, and if you let these emotions take control, you can actually end up with less in the end.
　　
Do your homework: Educate yourself beforehand. All too often, we come to the table unprepared, not recognizing that negotiating is a two-way street with both sides getting something of value. We have to convince the other side with a powerful argument, and that takes preparation. You have to research what it will cost the other side and how you can make it worthwhile. Benefitting both sides, not only saves face, but also provides an on-going working relationship that is anything but all or nothing.

The Comprehension Of Diplomacy And Negotiation Is The Understanding Of Mutually Beneficial Relations

Diplomacy and negotiation. Theory and practice in the framework of conflict studies and international relations.

The is the art or practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements. According to Morgenthau it is the quality of a nation's diplomacy which gives 'direction and weight' to other elements of national power. Negotiation plays a focal role in dilomacy. The course will explore diplomacy and negotiation, analyzing them in a wide range of topics, from schools of thought to different ways of conceiving the role of diplomacy and negotiation in times of conflicts and peace. Essentail to the comprehnsion of diplomacy and negotiation is also the understanding of basic principles of international relations, a discipline that is presented from the point of view of approaches, from rationalism, to pluralism, to globalism, and case studies.

The concep of conflict is also crucial to diplomacy and negotiation, this is why in the course includes the notion of prevention, of resolution and other with numerous examples, both historical and contemporary. Trying to answer the questions related to the role of diplomacy and subsequntly of negotiation, the course proposes the analysis of different circumstances, such as when diplomacy is used to provoke war, to mobilise public support, to help win a war, to avert war, to thwart attempts to avert war.

A continuous reference to the post-cold war international system will always be made, stressing upon the concepts of unilateralism and multilateralism in foreign policy. Practical exercises such as role playing in situations in which the students will practically experience aspects of diplomacy and negotiation, and a final international crisis simulation will also be carried out during the course.

Case studies prepared on both the Aceh and Kosovo negotiations by Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School will be used to educate Harvard students in diplomacy and negotiation.

Ahtisaari told an audience of faculty and students that at the outset of each negotiation, he stated clearly to all sides what he thought the outcome would be - and then he gave the parties wide scope to reach that outcome. He also said he invoked his own values of fairness and justice to guide him rather than worry about meeting some impossible standard of objectivity.

Ahtisaari was awarded the Great Negotiator Award on September 27, 2010 between two panel discussions that examined his role in developing a final status for Kosovo between 2005 and 2008, and his mediation between rebels in the Indonesian province of Aceh and the national government toward the Helsinki Agreement in 2005.

The award was created a decade ago by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and was co-sponsored for the first time this year by the new Future of Diplomacy Project in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.

Kennedy School Professor of Practice Nicholas Burns, faculty director of the Future of Diplomacy Project, co-presented the award and moderated the Kosovo panel. As US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs from 2005 to 2008, Burns had been closely involved with the final status process. Burns said Ahtisaari deftly coped not only with an intransigent Serbian government but with fractious parties within Kosovo and complex dynamics involving the European Union, the United States and Russia.

Harvard Business School Professor James Sebenius, an expert on negotiation who is on the executive committee of the Program on Negotiation, moderated the Aceh panel.

"In all the places I have been involved, in Namibia, in Aceh, in Kosovo, I have known from the beginning what the outcome is going to be," Ahtisaari said. "If you don't, and you don't make it clear where you are coming from, you can waste the rest of your days."

The Group seeks to further develop research into Diplomacy and Negotiation in the Department. It is also aimed at analysing, interpreting and understanding the dynamics of foreign policy making in major, middle and small states.

The strategy for achieving these aims includes holding workshops, inviting outside speakers to present current research, and encouraging publications. We are especially keen to increase our recruitment of postgraduate students by supporting new research initiatives in the area of diplomatic studies. Prospective PhD students interested in any aspect of Diplomatic Studies and Negotiation are encouraged to contact Professor Donna Lee (d.lee.3@bham.ac.uk) in the Department of Political Science and International Studies.

When you begin a game you must first learn something about each of your opponents. Sometimes you will know quite a bit to begin with, but you can also ask people who know the opponent better than you do. You want to know if your opponent is generally reliable or not, what his objective is, whether he is a classical or romantic player, and whether or not he is good at negotiations, strategy, and tactics. (This is a controversial point, insofar as some players—usually the notoriously erratic and unreliable—say that a player’s previous record should have no effect on the game. However, the more you know about another player the better you’ll be able to predict his actions. It would require a peculiar view of life for a player to knowingly ally with someone who has never abided by an agreement in 20 games! Nor would you offer to draw with a player who would “rather die than draw”.

However much some players wish to pretend that they are really government leaders and that World War I is happening just this once, most Diplomacy players recognize that it is primarily a somewhat abstract game of skill, and act accordingly.)

Let’s consider each point you’re trying to learn about, beginning with reliability. Novice players, urged on by the rulebook introduction, usually believe that the winner will be the player who lies, cheats, and backstabs most effectively. Perhaps if you never play more than once with the same people and never acquire a reputation this would be true. But in the long run players learn to treat liars and backstabbers as enemies. Why invite disaster in an already difficult game?

Obviously, for one person to do well in a game with six others some cooperation is necessary, and cooperation is easier and more effective between those who can rely upon one another to some extent. An expert player rarely lies, and then only because the lie is likely to radically improve his position. He prefers to say nothing, to change the subject, to speak of inconsequentials, rather than lie. When he agrees to an alliance of some kind he usually abides by the agreement. By specifying a limited duration—until 190x or until X country is eliminated or reduced to one supply center—he won’t back himself into a corner which would require him to break one agreement or another. When he backstabs (attacks an ally) he stabs to virtually destroy a country, not merely to gain a few centers. The stab leads directly to accomplishing his goal, not merely to increasing his supply center total. He wants to be known as a reliable player because this will make other players more willing to cooperate with him.

Negotiation Techniques Are Critical To Establishing The Internal System

These negotiation techniques are primarily for sales, but apply also to other negotiations, such as debt negotiation, contracts negotiating, buying negotiations, salary and employment contracts negotiations, and to an extent all other negotiating situations. Negotiation is vital for an organization's overall effectiveness. Organizational effectiveness is a product of activities within a system - internal and external. Negotiation is critical to establishing the internal system (structure, people, functions, plans, measures, etc), and the organization's relationship to the external system (markets, suppliers, technology, etc). Negotiation is also critical to optimising the performance of activities internally and externally (principally through communication, by people).
　　
Good sales negotiation - the rules of which feature below - can easily add 10% to sales revenues, which arguably goes straight to the bottom line as incremental profit. Good purchasing negotiation can easily save 10% of the cost of bought in products and services, which again arguably goes straight to the bottom line as extra profit. Good negotiation by managers in dealing with staff can easily reduce staff turnover by 5-10%, which reduces recruitment and training costs by at least the same %, as well as improving quality, consistency and competitive advantage, which for many companies is the difference between ultimate success and failure. Good negotiation by executives with regulatory and planning authorities enables opening new markets, developing new technologies, and the choice of where the business operates and is based, all of which individually can make the difference between a business succeeding or failing.
　　
One of the most important skills you will need before you start your own business, regardless of what business might be, is to learn “How to” Negotiate. Now this subject could, like others in our ebook, fill an entire volume all of its own so we will keep this down to the ‘essentials’.
　　
No matter what you do in your life, personal or business-wise, learning the Art of Negotiation will help you. Every time you buy a car, or a home, or even when you apply for a new job, you are going to be a
　　
“Negotiating” situation. Just think about this, as an simple example. When you asked that new girlfriend out on that first date you were, “negotiating” right up until you got that first kiss, weren’t you? You didn’t know what she was thinking, she was ‘playing her cards close to her chest’ but you kept throwing out little signals, little questions (that is, if you were a gentleman) until you felt that it was time to move ‘closer in’ and ‘close the sale’ and get that first kiss with her.
　　
Obviously you ladies do this in a ‘different’ way but the ‘process’ is very much the same, isn’t it? Well that’s “negotiation”. Okay – now for the more serious stuff.
　　
When you go into a “commercial” negotiation you, being on ‘one side of the fence’, have in your mind (but preferably on paper as well) what you wish to achieve, be it a certain price, certain terms, timing, settlement date, quality issues and so on. We strongly recommend that you have these objectives’ written down, but kept totally confidential, so that ‘in the heat of battle’ you do not forget to cover all of those objectives. This will also help you focus, before your negotiation meeting, on what your main objectives really are.
　　
These “objectives” are what is termed your “Hidden, or Secret, Agenda”.
　　
Raise your BATNA, or no-deal option.
　　
If you are relying on your Chinese counter-party for basic market and business information well into the negotiation then your currency is probably dropping in his eyes. Hire an assistant, or better yet spring for someone more high-powered, but do something to develop your own flow of reliable industry information. Experienced deal-makers who are based in China consider this advice simplistic, but many overseas negotiators never seem to figure out that they are getting all of their data from a counter-party who has a vested interest in keeping things as confused and opaque as possible.

 Add a new player to the mix.
　　
Find an alternate counter-party or spread your risk by taking on additional suppliers or marketing channels. Don’t give away exclusivity unless you are absolutely certain you can rely on your partner – and even then its one of the riskiest decisions a Western negotiator can make in China. Once your Chinese counter-party thinks the balance of power has shifted in his favor then the relationship goes into a nose-dive. Local Chinese are always looking for a bigger & better partner – so should you.

Capitulate.
　　
Give in. Do it his way. Maybe the Chinese side has a point. Maybe you are better off just giving in. After all, there’s a good chance that the right partner really does know what he’s talking about and you don’t. For the non-China expert, this isn’t always a bad option. Particularly true if your business involves marketing within China.

Walk away slowly.
　　
For all their talk of harmony and consensus, Chinese negotiators are basically power-players. They respect strong counter-parties and are opportunistic & cut-throat when dealing with weaklings. If you aren’t ready to walk away, then expect to get taken advantage of. But having a Plan B isn’t enough – you have to know how to deploy this tactic in China. The best way is to be polite – even friendly – and tell your Chinese counter-party, “Well, it looks like we won’t be able to do business this time. Hopefully we’ll meet again under different circumstances. Thanks for all you’ve taught me about doing business here.” Smile and walk away – slowly. In many cases your counter-party will come back with better terms. Even if he doesn’t, you are better off making the move – provided you have already set up an alternative option.

Run away.
　　
If your relationship is truly gone to hell, then your best option may be to burn your bridges and get out of there immediately. Some people are simply more valuable as enemies than friends. If your counter-party is actively stealing from you or worse – engaged in illegal or reputation damaging activities – then you are much better off being the one to terminate the relationship. Running away is different from walking away slow, because in this scenario you have no interest in keeping even a pro-forma relationship going.
　　
A final option that may seem counter-intuitive is well suited for some Americans – force a conflict and make them mad. Yes, this is a risky tactic, but when all else fails you may want to try to shift the balance of power back in your favor by provoking the Chinese side. I’m talking about forcing an open conflict in a situation that you feel has gone so far out of control that the status quo in simply untenable. If pushing you around has been working for them and they consider you a weakling, then you’ll never get this deal back on track. If they want a deal with you and you show a little spine, then they’ll find a way to accommodate. Your worst option is playing the role of damaged goods in a relationship a Chinese counter-party doesn’t value.

Effective Negotiation Can Help You Resolve Some Situations

Effective negotiation helps you to resolve situations where what you want conflicts with what someone else wants. The aim of win-win negotiation is to find a solution that is acceptable to both parties, and leaves both parties feeling that they've won, in some way, after the event.

Where you do not expect to deal with people ever again and you do not need their goodwill, then it may be appropriate to "play hardball", seeking to win a negotiation while the other person loses out. Many people go through this when they buy or sell a house – this is why house-buying can be such a confrontational and unpleasant experience.

Similarly, where there is a great deal at stake in a negotiation, then it may be appropriate to prepare in detail and legitimate "gamesmanship" to gain advantage. Anyone who has been involved with large sales negotiations will be familiar with this.

Neither of these approaches is usually much good for resolving disputes with people with whom you have an ongoing relationship: If one person plays hardball, then this disadvantages the other person – this may, quite fairly, lead to reprisal later. Similarly, using tricks and manipulation during a negotiation can undermine trust and damage teamwork. While a manipulative person may not get caught out if negotiation is infrequent, this is not the case when people work together routinely. Here, honesty and openness are almost always the best policies.

The flinch is one of the oldest negotiation tactics but one of the least used. A flinch is a visible reaction to an offer or price. The objective of this negotiation tactic is to make the other people feel uncomfortable about the offer they presented. Here is an example of how it works.

You need to learn as much about the other person's situation. This is a particularly important negotiation tactic for sales people. Ask your prospect more questions about their purchase. Learn what is important to them as well as their needs and wants.

The negotiation itself is a careful exploration of your position and the other person's position, with the goal of finding a mutually acceptable compromise that gives you both as much of what you want as possible. People's positions are rarely as fundamentally opposed as they may initially appear – the other person may have very different goals from the ones you expect!

In an ideal situation, you will find that the other person wants what you are prepared to trade, and that you are prepared to give what the other person wants.

If this is not the case and one person must give way, then it is fair for this person to try to negotiate some form of compensation for doing so – the scale of this compensation will often depend on the many of the factors we discussed above. Ultimately, both sides should feel comfortable with the final solution if the agreement is to be considered win-win.

Only consider win-lose negotiation if you don't need to have an ongoing relationship with the other party as, having lost, they are unlikely to want to work with you again. Equally, you should expect that if they need to fulfill some part of a deal in which you have "won," they may be uncooperative and legalistic about the way they do this.

It is better to walk away from a sale rather than make too large a concession or give a deep discount your product or service. After attending my workshops, salespeople often tell that this negotiation strategy gives them the most leverage when dealing with customers. However, it is particularly challenging to do when you are in the midst of a sales slump or slow sales period. But, remember that there will always be someone to sell to.

Negotiating is a way of life in some cultures. And most people negotiate in some way almost every day. Apply these negotiation strategies and you will notice a difference in your negotiation skills almost immediately.

Debt Negotiation Is Often The Most Fruitful Way Of Getting Money Back From The Debtor

Debt negotiation is a common process. During this process, people hired by a debtor try and negotiate the loan amount with credit companies. Generally after this negotiation, the loan amount negotiated is not just lower, the debtor is also freed from all the loans after consolidation of all loans after this one.
　　
Negotiating Debt Settlement is observed very commonly inside the commercial collection agency environment, once the person very quickly reaches the dead end of debt trap by mounting consumer credit card debt. Once the credit-based card company is not really receiving the payments for decades, the task is trusted into the collecting agencies, which are recognized for their range diverse tactics of screwing the customer. Now the debtor accumulates defensive attitude and moves towards credit card debt settlement negotiation.
　　
The benefit of negotiation happens that the person who is in debt can pay off at least minimum of loan amount. This saves the credit company from hiring legal teams, filing foreclosure and also trying to get money by selling person's assets. However, in case where the fixed asset is not mortgaged, it is common that the company may end up losing up all the money that is owned by the creditor.
　　
During debt negotiation there are a variety of things taken under consideration. These are the earning capacity, number of persons earning, total income of the family as against total debt and liabilities. This also ascertains whether or not the family or individual will be able to repay the loan. If it is found that the loan cannot be repaid rather only the amount if negotiated can be repaid, in such cases companies allow debt negotiation. If it is found that the family or individual can repay loan the credit company will try to get complete amount from the person.
　　
Most of the times, debt negotiation is done by a credit counselor. This could be a person working privately for a company or could be an independent entity. In both cases, it is the main aim of this person to get your debt reduced considerably. You may have to pay this person, however it does not need to be immediate. At times the payment is determined depending upon how much debt has been actually reduced. Commission payment is always the calculated as percentage of amount reduced in debt. Payment terms are determined by both parties mutually.
　　
Upon reduction in debt, terms of payment, rate of interest and duration of the loan is also determined. Generally after debt negotiation, fresh papers are prepared. It depends on the credit company to determine whether or not credit rating of this person would be affected.
　　
Any moment when was situation of credit card debt settlement negotiation payment agreement when using the lender, almost everything need to be written form duly accepted and signed by the parties linked to presence of two witnesses also filling out the proposal of paper agreement. Moreover the money really should not be paid without the presence of formal agreement getting executed in a very legal manner.
　　
Precious time the debt settlement negotiation efforts take lot of time each time what seem slipping as opposed to reaching to desired agreement. Always get started with an extremely lower amount figure to make sure that after hectic negotiations the number of repayment settled is within the targeted figure for negotiation.
　　
Debt negotiation is often the most fruitful way of getting money back from the debtor, it saves time and also it saves the debtor his dignity. It can also help the debtor in stabilizing his financial status.