When people think about negotiating it has to rank up there with the fear of death and public speaking.  Their palms get all sweaty, pupils dilate and they get the shakes.   Sometime I must admit it is pretty funny to watch, and I can’t get over the fact that everyone negotiates from the second they get up in the morning till they go to bed at night.  Should I eat that before I go to bed?  Should I hit that snooze button again?  The only difference is that everyone is simply negotiating with themselves.  So why is it when you go to negotiate with someone else you freak out?  I know some people love to haggle and some people like myself hate it.  Some people always want a discount and some people just want to know that they are getting a fair price.

Over the years I’ve trained recruiters on how to negotiate and to get them to really understand this process of placing job candidates with clients.  You would think it is easy but in fact it’s far from it.  The most important thing is to communicate all the details upfront so that everyone is on the same page so the process can run smoothly.  The problem comes in when someone comes out of left field thinking they are now in charge.  That kills me when someone all of a sudden thinks that they happen to be the “GOODS” and now tries to take over for all parties involved.  When dealing with me they suddenly find themselves in what I call the “semi black hole”.  That’s the place with only one door and you leave that place with a boot in your ass.  Seriously though there is a difference between what is right and what is wrong and I do believe that everyone knows what those differences are.  The problem lies when people choose to cross those lines for the purpose of satisfying only themselves at the expense of others.  Negotiations is not the process of what can one get away with!  That’s more like extortion.

In my business negotiating with clients is something we do all upfront before we begin a search.  It goes the same way with job candidates.   Everything is sorted out upfront before any interviews take place.  During these time I don’t get upset, nervous, sweaty, or even sick to my stomach.  Why?  Because there is NO pressure!  John F. Kennedy said “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but never fear to negotiate.”  When I negotiate with a job candidate or a client it is up front with nothing on the line.  Just a meeting to understand what is good for all parties.  You see negotiating is always a 2 way street for me.  When things change in the ninth hour for the purpose of self, well then all bets are off.   I have walked away from huge pay days simply because someone wanted to change or negotiate because they felt at that time it suited them best.  I must say for me that is the kiss of death for a deal.  I believe in strong principles and doing what you say is what matters.  There are other people out there that don’t care about you or your situation and its all about them.  Now is that negotiating?   I know I sleep well at night and I can look at myself in a mirror knowing what was right.  Perhaps some people will view that as weak.  I don’t know but what I do know is that most people will take money over principles and perhaps that is why they are always chasing a buck!