Behind every successful business there are plenty of negotiations that had to be sorted out in the process. In fact, we participate in negotiations more than we realize, and the more we focus on our negotiation skills, the better we become at them. During the past week I had the opportunity to speak with Jonathan Martin, Co-Founder and Owner of a music-based website that helps independent artists monetize their music, as well as allow fans to discover and share music. Jonathan has previously started three separate music business companies and has worked with artists in management positions. During the past 5 years he has been a party to several negotiations and he was glad to share some suggestions with me.
I began by asking Jonathan about objective criteria, and how he had incorporated it in past negotiations. “I’m a Finance guy, numbers are my thing, so when I’m going into a negotiation I always come prepared with financial statements, analytic projections, etc. But it’s not enough to have the factual information. It’s important that when you go into negotiations with your material that you also know how to use it and it present it. In my case numbers don’t explain themselves all the time. I need to be able to build a case around these numbers that supports what I am essentially arguing in benefit of.” Jonathan also pointed out that if you wanted the ‘objective criteria’ to be taken serious it was also important to willingly listen to the other party when they presented their material, as well as initiating an interest in their views of the material.
During negotiations, emotions many times run rampant, so I decided to ask Jonathan which of Shapiro’s five core concerns that stimulate emotion (appreciation, affiliation, autonomy, status, or role) did he find more important. I can’t say I was surprised by his answer because I agree – affiliation. “Ideally, in a smooth negotiation you want to work together, not against each other. It makes the process of working together easier. Personally, I’ve found that during a negotiation if we’ve been able to build a personal connection either before hand, or during the process, I’m more open-minded about new ideas and about changing my mind. Versus if I feel that you are being insincere I’m more resistant about changing my mind.” While I had never thought about it, in that context I found myself in agreement. When there’s a connection between you and the other party, I feel that the parties are more likely to cooperate with each other rather than ‘stand their ground’.
To end our discussion I asked Jonathan if there was ever a time during a negotiation in which he felt the opposing party was ‘dirty’, and he shared this story with me. “During a negotiation with an investor for my last start-up initiative I found myself being seated in a chair that was as low to the ground as possible, with a stiff back. Being 6ft3 this was obviously an awkward situation. I knew if I said nothing and continued on with the negotiation that it would affect my position because I was going to be unable to concentrate throughout the meeting. Instead of ignoring the situation, I decided to excuse myself and adjust the chair.” So did the investor respond in any way to that action? “He simply sat back and smiled.”
