Negotiation Tactics in Entertainment Business

This video, which focuses on the skills needed to successfully negotiate in job searches/interviews, gave me lots of great tips on something that I will need to apply to my own life once I graduate from Full Sail, and possibly even before that date. The video focuses on four different areas. The first is to “negotiate for a seat at the table,” meaning that you first need to schedule the interview before anything can happen. In the video, they emphasize being creative in presenting yourself, and also to position yourself in a way that gives you a higher value. The second area is to “negotiate for yourself,” which means that you need to set aside any previous frustrations with respect to your job search and convince (or negotiate) with yourself so that you feel that you are worthy and walk in to an interview with your head held high. The third is personal differentiation. They emphasize challenging the interviewer in some way, either by suggestion things to them about the company or work that you can perform, and by asking questions. The fourth is negotiating your job package, particularly salary. This is very tricky, as the person who mentions a number first usually “loses” in that the next person can react to that number. If you say a number that’s lower than the interviewer was willing to give you, he/she will probably settle on the lower number. They stress that you need to put yourself in the best possible position. Research the job beforehand and don’t undersell your abilities.

Another video I watched nicely detailed plenty of general negotiation skills that I will need to apply to my own career, and even in day-to-day exchanges. Emphasis is put on the belief that “everything is negotiable,” meaning that you can always ask your way to success by continually trying to reach the best deal for yourself. For instance, if you are buying a car, it is important to try to get the sellers to lower the price. Often, most people are willing to do so. The video also ties in with understanding underlying interests by telling the viewer to focus on “what you really want”. An interesting tactic was that of “bracketing,” where you ask for double (or at least some amount more) of what you actually want. The point is that the other negotiating side will often attempt to dwindle that down, often reaching the number that you were trying to obtain the entire time.

I also viewed a podcast that detailed how to come across well to those you are negotiating with. The podcast stressed likeability, such as calling the other side “counterparty” instead of “opponent”, as few negotiators respond well to bullying or excessive pressure. Something I thought was interesting was the idea that you should mimic the other person’s body language to better relate to them and give yourself a better chance of working toward a good result. Instead of focusing on what you want, focus on what the other side wants and how you can give it to them, often by presenting options. If you can focus on doing this and let the other side know that you are doing all you could to provide for their wants, they are likely to do the same for you.