Introduction
Negotiations skills are crucial tools not only for those who work in the business sector but for people who need to achieve the maximum in their everyday life. One may need to get a discount on the products they often buy or arrange the payment by installments. For these goals, it is necessary to divide the negotiations into several stages that are as the following: preparation, barraging, and closing. If one prepares for the talks, he or she will formulate their thoughts in a way that will accelerate the procedure and assist in achieving the goal. The defining of one’s BATNA and Reservation Value is a vital component, too, as sticking to it during the process may lead to the desired outcome.
The Chosen Subject for Negotiations
I decided to negotiate free access to three educational courses on Udemy. The first one is called “Social Media Management Tools & Hacks.” It tells about building a blog, brand, and business using digital marketing strategies. The second one is “Copywriting Secrets: Become a Content Writing Expert.” It teaches how to create content for landing pages and social media ads. The third one is called “Viral Blogging 101: Blogging & Content Writing Masterclass.” It explains formulas for writing viral posts and crafting killer headlines. The author of these courses is Tyler Speegle, a professional blogger, writer, and Huffington Post Contributor. As he left his contacts on the Udemy profile, I went to his website and found the contact form for questions. I wrote “An interesting offer” in the subject field and described my suggestion in detail.
The Preparation Stage
My preparation for these talks included investigation, mediation, and defining my and other’s party BATNA and Reservation Value. I investigated the popularity of the courses and the average number of enrolled students. I also conducted some short surveys among my friends to understand their interests. I realized that they would not buy courses without personal value. Thus, I considered the possibility of including discounts for my friends. Finally, I used brainstorming to choose the most relevant offer and divergent thinking to find out some possible outcomes and solutions.
Defining BATNA, Reservation Value, and ZOPA
My idea was to negotiate free access to these courses in exchange for advertising a writer’s profile among my friends. If twenty friends of mine enroll in the courses within two weeks using a unique promo code with a 15% discount, I will get free access to the chosen courses. My BATNA was free access to three sessions, but I considered the possibility of getting two of them. Access to only one of all courses was my Reservation Value. Considering the number of Tyler Speegle’s students and my friends interested in such an offer, I decided that twenty enrolled students might have been a possible BATNA of the writer. Besides, I defined ZOPA for our negotiations finding the goals both sides might have had.
Using Finke’s Quadrant Model
During my preparation stage, I utilized Finke’s Quadrant Model too. Four quadrants of the model mark creative realism, creative idealism, conservative idealism, and conservative realism. In my case, conservative realism was getting some discount; conservative idealism was partial access to the paid courses. Creative idealism was getting full access to three courses without promised discounts for twenty friends. Therefore, creative realism concerned the ability to access all the chosen courses, including discounts for invited friends. Pondering the ideal and real ideas, I defined my goal and possible solutions to achieve it.
The Negotiation Process
For some time, Tyler Speegle did not reveal any interest in my offer. I realized that my message subject was probably a junk mail header. I copied the initial message and sent it one more time with the theme “More feedback for you and more learning for me.” Tyler Speegle was aware of copywriting techniques, so my heading might have encouraged him to open the message. While chatting, I tried to use a formal style and a polite tone of communication, but as the writer used an informal manner, I slightly changed my approach and utilized a semi-formal style. The blogger was interested in my idea, but he informed me that he needed some extra time to make the final decision. This type of response might have been a tricky one, so I suggested a particular day on which I would write to him again.
The outcome
The negotiation outcome was the achieving of my goal but on slightly different terms. Tyler Speegle agreed on free access to three courses, although he mentioned that my friends should have 5% discounts. I did not accept that offer immediately and continued the talks. I tried to be persuasive and persistent; hence, we ended up agreeing on a 10% discount for invited students. Tyler Speegle indicated that my friends would have to write their feedback in his Udemy profile. My friends did not mind doing that as they were satisfied with the result of the negotiations. I decided to accept these terms and finish the talks with the writer.
Conclusion
To conclude, during my negotiations, I utilized many materials from the classes. I learned how to define BATNA, Reservation Value, and ZOPA during the preparation stage. I used brainstorming, creative and convergent thinking to understand my goals and think over possible outcomes. Moreover, I implemented Finke’s Quadrant Model to choose the most appropriate way to conduct negotiations. I was also a mediator as I needed to understand the writer’s and my friends’ interest in the talks. I discovered the necessity to formulate the subject, so it captivates one’s attention and to adapt the writing style to sound more friendly for another party.