5 PerspectivesSeptember 12, 2008
Managing Expectations: An Unexpected Lesson on the Bus to Hertz
A few weeks ago I landed in Baltimore to find all the glamour that usually greets the business traveler: a wait at the bus stop better described as steamy than hot, a luggage rack designed to fit everyone’s bag but mine, and a recognition that I didn’t really know the way to my dinner meeting after all. I soon encountered a negotiation technique ignored by some of the most experienced negotiators – a technique that worked on me that day and can work for you.
It’s Only 8 Minutes
Moments after the bus doors closed I checked the time and pondered how I would jam a full day into what was left of it. Thirty seconds later, as I began to envision arriving at my car, a soothing voice came over the intercom and said: “The ride to the rental car center will take approximately 8 minutes. Please sit back and enjoy the ride.” Or words to that effect. While in retrospect it seems that there must have been a closer place to put the rental cars, I did as I was told. Once I got to my car and through Hertz “security” I realized what had happened – the bus driver had managed my expectations. And it had worked. More…
Categories: Communication,Fundamentals,Negotiation,Settlement
Add Your PerspectiveSeptember 9, 2008
Why It May Be a Bad Idea to “Send them a Message”
“Our next move needs to make it clear that we mean business.” I have heard that line (and others like it) before, and you have, too. But a concept in a popular business book recently helped me understand why this isn’t the great approach I once thought it was. In Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath explain how the “The Curse of Knowledge” impacts how we communicate. With the help of their book, I now see how some negotiations succeed while others fail.
Do We Outsmart Ourselves?
At some point in almost every negotiation we are tempted to use our actions to send a message – a customer hoping to “get tough” demands the supplier come to her office; a home purchaser makes a “low ball” offer to signal that the house is priced too high; and a policyholder reduces his claim More…
Categories: Communication,Negotiation,Selected Posts,Theory
Settlement Perspectives
is the professional weblog
of John DeGroote.
I created this site to help clients and their counsel navigate the challenges that inevitably result from disputes, settlement efforts, impasse, and negotiation in general. The perspectives I bring are based on my experience, summarized in this abbreviated bio. If you have any questions or thoughts about this site, or an issue you’d like to see addressed, please email me at:
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