Mladen D. Kresic is President and Chief Executive of K&R Negotiations, a consulting firm specializing in structuring and negotiating business transactions in the computer, software, Internet and other industries. Mladen has over 31 years experience negotiating business transactions both as a lawyer and a businessman.
Terms in negotiations cost money; someone pays the tab (bill): This is one of the six foundational principles of K&R Negotiations’ Win Wisely™ method. Every term in contracts and negotiations should be of some value, and each term has an associated cost. As a negotiator, knowing the rationale for a term enables you to articulate […]
In one sense, negotiations are a strategic exchange of ideas and information. But the value of what information we give (and when) can have a very real bearing on our success. As you seek leverage in the deal, you are trying to find key information from the other side. If you’re negotiating with seasoned professionals, […]
The IBM Institute for Business Value recently released a new thought leadership study (Chief Procurement Officer Study: Improving competitive advantage through procurement excellence) Sellers who regularly deal with chief procurement officers (CPOs) or that CPO’s staff should read it. The paper’s creators surveyed 1,128 CPOs from organizations with annual revenues in excess of $1 billion […]
Client teams that walk out of our negotiating seminars come out with actionable tools they can immediately apply to shorten sales cycles; close bigger, better deals; and build lucrative, long-term relationships with the opportunity for more recurring business. It’s one thing to make the claim, quite another when a client’s own analysis supports that claim. […]
Imagine that you are in a sales negotiation. As part of your services, you will create a solution for an inventory problem that your customer is having. In the middle of the negotiation, a member of your team tells you that this solution can only be implemented manually, which will drive up the cost $250,000. […]
“We’re giving you $100K of value for only $60K. This is a good deal!” How often have you heard that sales pitch? Of course, this has nothing to do with business value. Value is derived from outcomes, and a statement like the one above derives from price. Yet defining value is one of the most […]
“We must have a 10-day shipment guarantee.” “This functionality is a must.” “A price reduction is mandatory.” How often have you heard conditions like these during a negotiation? Sometimes negotiators make every request sound as if it were mandatory. But what are the real deal-breakers? K&R’s MID™ is designed to help you identify and prioritize […]
With pressure to meet earnings and revenue targets, expand new markets and make the most of every resource, today’s global sales force is the difference between success and failure. Communication and online information are leveling the playing field, creating an extremely competitive environment and shrinking margins. Even the best products are one development cycle away […]
Not all books on negotiation skills cover how to handle internal dissension or conflict during important negotiations. There’s a reason we included it as the third of K&R’s Six Principles™ of Negotiation: A team divided is a costly team. Here is an example of how one of our seasoned negotiation consultants, “Hank,” handled a very […]
In our previous post on international negotiations, we discussed the critical importance of preparation and gathering facts. You can’t control all the factors, but you can control your knowledge base. The bigger that base is, the higher the chances for success. As noted before, your charge as an international negotiator is to conduct thorough background […]
