- Sparring Round #34: “Closing” to getting you elected as president of your association
The facts are all on the table… the client is not uninterested… but what are you doing now to have her sign? How can the deal be closed? This was one of the main cases in Round #34 each and every Sparrer had a chance to try his luck on. The results were mixed. Yes, it is possible, but not at every time and for everyone. Main take-aways from the sales case: The “sale” needs to have been prepared and introduced carefully. This starts with the […]
- SparringClub Pro Open for New Participants
Dear Visitor, Strategic attitude and negotiation skills determine relationships, careers, and even the overall success of your life to a very special degree. The SparringClub is about setting ambitious goals and consistently achieving the best possible negotiation success with the Coaching support. In short: become the best version of yourself with my support e.g. in the monthly coaching sessions or in the Negotiation Sparring. There are only a few places available in the exclusive program, and I personally select participants with a view to mutual learning […]
- Happy New Year!
One of the favorite activities of my year is coming up: Reviewing the old and preparing the new. What has changed? What did I achieve? Where am I coming from and how does this impact my future? As an entrepreneur, my starting point this year will again be the development of my business. As Austrian business we are obliged to keeping our accounting records 7 years. This means, we can review and completely close, and burn old, outdated records. Of course, the beauty is not only […]
- Negotiation JOKER for short-term support
Hallo Negotiation friends, Do you want to ensure reaching your objectives in upcoming negotiations? How about an independent second opinion on your strategy? Somebody to discuss tactics with confidentially? Heck, you can even rehearse upcoming sensitive phases of your negotiation (under whatever name it is conducted) and try out different options! You can do all that easily with a ONLINE JOKER FLEXIBLE: one-time or accompanying CONFIDENTIAL: for any kind of negotiation PRACTICAL: own browser based conference room – just click the link PERSONAL: 100% customized to you individually PROFESSIONAL: direct access to the negotiation expert […]
- Negotiation Training in a 3- phase Hybrid Model
After finding out that everything in life is negotiation, and that you can learn negotiation skills if you put some time and effort into it, there is only one question remaining: What is the best way to practicing Negotiation Skills? After designing and teaching courses for 20+ years we thought we know pretty much about what helps our participants learn the best way. However, progress allows us to finetune our most efficient format, Negotiation Sparring, even a little further. How? Well, we can add to the […]
- Invitation to Mediation Lounge
MEDIATION LOUNGE As the name implies, our informal getting together intends to bring all sorts of people together to exchange ideas & share news and approaches to conflict resolution. There is no better informal opportunity out there to meet people interested in conflict solving and negotiation in a casual and very personal way! You will also be able to get to know some of the authors of our Masterbooks series personally and are free to ask questions or discuss interesting items of their writings. This event is […]
- Sparring Round #30: Constructive criticism for peers, coworkers & bosses
Exciting, very personal and fully booked was our Sparring Round #30 last Friday. The negotiation cases this time were more internal in the area of conducting employee interviews & giving constructive criticism for peers. This is part of a trend that I am noticing more and more: The uncertainty about how to proceed in the business world needs to be discussed internally with key staff, colleagues and bosses. Competencies and tasks change much more frequently and quickly than in the past, and employees can no longer […]
- Speed Negotiating – What´s happening?
It was an incredible “Live Feeling” seeing so many of you actively participating in our “Elevator Pitch Presentation” Event. Especially the Speed Negotiating part was quite an experience, matching people from Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany and Austria automatically, to practice to focus their message one-on-one for a short time. Here a quick summary video for you: Your Elevator Pitch preparation course will be available as long as you use it (use it or lose it – login at least once between rounds), so don´t forget to look through that once […]
- New Course: Elevator Pitch Training
Here is our completely new Online Course on structure, setting and caveats of the EP. It will help you prepare for our Event Series and any internal or external pitch.
- Using the Pitch as Intrapreneur* – Possible? Useful? Recommendable?
It is my pleasure to invite you to come by – free of charge – to our Speed Negotiating Pre-Event #4 in our new Congress Hall: tomorrow Friday, April 2nd, 14.00 CET. I will interview our speaker Mladen Zaprianov on different situations to presenting projects and ideas on the “company inside” and how to adapt your Elevator Pitch to the expectations of your listener(s). Mladen Zaprianov is change expert with lots of experience in company and international settings will share his experience. (10 minutes) […]
- Protected: Can or should you Learn Negotiating From former Hostage Negotiators?
This content is password protected.
- Use business cards strategically in negotiations
Who can escape them? Cheap business cards with Word clipart or the variant with 200 free standard business cards with print advertising on the back. Thrift often begins with the business card and company folder. Business Cards might appear “outdated”, however, some crucial points are still well worth to be considered. Why are business cards still important in the digital age? A business card is often that first physical contact with a new person and helps to win them over as a customer and start the […]
- European Morals: Too Noble To Sell?
Suddenly, products and services were no longer available. (Not only) Food was hoarded and businesses went bankrupt overnight. Crises like Covid-19 show the importance of a functioning market economy for all market participants, but also for the state community as such and can give previously unknown clarity. In addition to the loss of tax revenue and the range of products and services, small local companies (SMEs) in particular felt the “loss of the marketplace” very directly. These “small” companies are usually not in the limelight, but […]
- Sex, Money, Power: Why people negotiate all the time, even when they don´t
Responsible Managers Are Rightly Complaining about Lacking Negotiation Skills Managers with outcome responsibility often tell me how frustrating it is asking their colleagues to prepare better for negotiations. They complain about lacking awareness for negotiation skills, or even outright misunderstanding of the very term “negotiations”. More often than not, it is not a lack of will that stops professionals focusing on their negotiating strategies and thus arriving at better results, but a costly lack of awareness: People want to believe they are just talking, meeting, discussing. […]
- 5 strategies for Your Online Meetings & Negotiations
1. Assign responsibility for Your meeting process = appoint a moderator As explained in my previous post, not all meetings are meant for “equality” for a variety of reasons. A moderator helps participants focus, and guarantees security about the process and rules. Depending on the rules of the meeting, no one can speak without the moderator’s consent, and shy contributors are being nudged to share with his active invitation. This is even more important for online meetings, given the lack of body cues and failing audio […]
- Group Coaching Negotiation: Ask Amin Anything
Ask Any Negotiation Question in“Ask Amin Anything” The Online format of group Coaching helps you find the ideal approach to your next negotiation and get inspired by the input of other negotiators, whether in sales, meetings, presentations or within organizational politics Are you interested in situations and roadblocks people face, and want to learn more about how these difficulties can be overcome? Do you want to profit from the motivation and inspiration inherent in a group exchange under professional supervision? Do you appreciate the opportunity to […]
- Setting up (online) meetings right
The biggest pitfalls in (online) meetings YOUR FIRST STEP: Choose the basic Setup for your meeting When you are setting up a meeting, you do have to take a basic, but very important choice right in the beginning: Will the meeting be 1) “all equals“, meaning that all participants are on the same level and can contribute to process & content, or will the meeting be 2) moderated, i.e. will you or somebody else be the Meeting Master conducting it and be responsible for the process. […]
- You are negotiating all day, every day
Covid 19 & Home office: Whether you are aware of it or not, you negotiate all day The longer Covid-19 forces us to work from home, the more obvious it might become that online & offline, in the house and outside, you better be prepared to negotiate well if you don´t want to risk a sudden explosion. You can put of negotiations only so long before people they explode right in your face. People are often amazed when they learn how often they are negotiating without […]
- Reaching your negotiation objectives
Setting, understanding and pursuing a goal: 1 of the 6 essential strengths of the Master Negotiator His unconditional orientation towards his own, but also his partner’s objectives, is one of the main success factors for the Master Negotiator (this article is an excerpt from the book “The Master Negotiator”). By neglecting his own objectives, he will hardly achieve them. Ignoring opposing objectives will leave his negotiation partner little reason to come to an agreement. Preparing well also means being aware of one´s own aims and the […]
- Chess, Strategy & Silence
Kineke Mulder conducted this interview for Chess unlimited* What brings the “Master Negotiator” to playing chess? As Keynote Speaker and Consultant my main tool is the spoken language. For a change, I enjoy interaction without having to talk. Ideally, this is considered polite when playing chess. Strategic dialogue without spoken words is exciting and leads to be in the very moment. I can focus on the position on the board and be with my myself and my thoughts, contrary to my professional responsibilty, where I always […]
- “THE MASTER NEGOTIATOR” Book review of Mr. Arno Baltin from Estonia
Each now and then people reach out to tell me that one of my books has been reviewed in their country. I really appreciate it, since it is not easy for my small team to keep up with developments in all the different places. This time Arno Baltin from Estonia let me know about his book review in the Estonian journal “director”. Thank you and I don´t understand a word, but it looks nice: pdf: Review Meisterläbirääkija Please find more reviews (in English & German) here The […]
- How To Best Improve You Negotiation Skills?
Important Points To Consider When Starting Out to Improving Your Negotiating Skills So you have decided you could profit a lot by focusing on your negotiation skills. And you are right! Whether in relationships with clients, your spouse or your boss: you can lose a lot by doing it wrong. But how should you do it? Getting a book and read through it certainly is a good start, but what about applying? Should you hire a Coach as Negotation Joker to give you feedback and support? […]
- Little electronic helpers to pursuing long-term negotiation goals
How “Apps” like Nach, ToDoIst or Lifetick can help you reaching your negotiation goals! Setting and reaching goals is paramount to negotiation success. I´ve been giving tips to setting goals (SMART-system) before and talked about efficiency vs. effectiveness here. After all, it is my objective to help clarify and structure goals as Negotiation Joker. Setting goals is one thing, however, and pursuing them quite another, given daily distractions, time limits and over-boarding projects. Apps and their reminders might help. Therefore I´ve been looking for and comparing different software/apps […]
- Why do so many companies choose to get ahead with Amin Talab as their dedicated Negotiation Consultant?
What is Amin Talab´s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) about? Find out in this short presentation, or as some would call it: Elevator Pitch (What is an Elevator Pitch?) How does a Negotiation Consultant help people improve their negotiation results? Find that information in the About us section here
- Learning by making mistakes
Striving to improving your negotiation skills can be a humbling enterprise. When designing the Master Negotiator Curriculum, I ensured participants learn by mastering different objectives in negotiation cases, i.e. role-play simulations. I am choosing these cases specifically to expose inconsistencies in argumentation, option seeking or strategy, such as the tendency to be overconfident or to assume that they are in a zero-sum-game. Delegates (and people in general) tend to feel threatened when they discover that they have been making bad decisions because their intuition was flawed. If […]
- Negotiation Sparring Center
It was a relaxing and uplifting Opening celebration of our new Sparring Center (how to get here). We were enjoying each others company, stories, and having lental soup, tea and ice-cream together. Our doors are now open for the next Sparring Rounds Sparring, Workshops or Online-Joker – don´t wait any longer to get the support & results you deserve. Thanks to one of our SparringClub Pro members, who happens to also be a superb photographer, Dr. Georg Krismanic, we are able to offer you views from […]
- Are you dealing with people? Give them hope and have a future.
Like most of my clients I am working in the “knowledge industry”. No matter if you are a legal, financial, pharmaceutical, sales or other expert: Ultimately you deal with the transfer, activation and/or implementation of your knowledge to help your clients better achieve their objectives, just like I do with my keynotes and training. So I figured I should share a few ideas from attending the #KnowledgeSummit here in Dubai, UAE. They made me think about my role as Negotiation Counselor again. “It´s said that you can survive for 40 days without food, […]
- Efficiency Interview
WHAT IS NEGOTIATION EFFICIENCY? Interview conducted and originally posted by Syngroup on 17.3.2015 HOW DO GOOD NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN? With the right objectives in mind. And these are often derived from our own aims in life. Just negotiating well or efficiently is hardly going to bring me happiness in life. I first need to reflect on what I actually want. What kind of benefit do I derive from taking the supplier to the cleaners and bankrupting him? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN NEGOTIATIONS? […]
- Best of negotiation: Q&A
If you had the opportunity to ask any question on the topic of negotiation, which questions would you ask? These were the choices of a group of Bulgarian top-performers in the financial sector: The best negotiation strategy… …takes into consideration ones´ goals, but also the interest of both parties, the relative strengths of the negotiation partner, the human needs of influencers and deciders not present at the negotiation table, the expectation effect for future encounters and the relationship level, among a heap of other factors. When […]
- Negotiation lessons you can learn from your cat
As workshop participant or blog reader you know what I am referring to when speaking about the “shark”, the “bear” or the “cat” as negotiation types. The readers of my bestselling “Master Negotiator” even have a drawing in their book: All the characteristics of this negotiation type and how to handle him are described there. Today I want to share with you some final thoughts regarding my inspiration for the type “cat” and one of my personal “Master Negotiators”, my real cat Assuad. By his behavior he (a tomcat, […]
- How to negotiate with terrorists from other cultures
Especially in reference to recent developments around Syria and the Middle East, we are bombarded with questions about the international events and caveats in negotiations with intercultural context. The following interview published by the magazine Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Investigation Department – CID) provides some answers on this complex issue: CID: What is the difference between negotiations in business and hostage negotiations involving the police – it is the fact that the police has less time to prepare for a negotiation partner? Dr. Stefan Amin Talab: This need not be […]
- Master Negotiator #1 Bestseller
I am stunned and happy that my Master Negotiator book is featuring #1 in the Category Negotiation Books at www.Amazon.de. Now two of our Masterbooks are in the pole positions #1 and #2. The second place is held by our (German) book Meistermediator.
- Negotiation tactics taken from Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965), British politician and Premier for the UK from 1940-1945 and 1951-55 and nobel price laureate 1953, is said to have been a Master of a very specific negotiation technique. A deadly mixture between fait accompli (establishing and presenting circumstances that can´t be changed unilaterally by the negotiation partner) and salami tactics are employed to extract small concessions, that are expanded in the course of further negotiations. This tactic is based on a universally valid strategy of persuasion: The inherent need for consistency […]
- Anniversary Hungarian office
5 years ago … we decided to open a small office in Hungary to express our long-lasting interest in the CEE area and business with all the countries from Poland over Russia to Turkey. It has also become a place to turn to in order to rethink strategies and personal development for leaders who need a break from their day-to-day grinding problem solving activities. After all, how often do you take 1-2 full days away from pretty much everything and engage a Coach to help you […]
- Squeezing Out Interests of a Recalcitrant Negotiator
You might have experienced the situation: You are finding yourself talking to a negotiation partner who you have had no chance to establish a trusting relationship with just yet. And, let´s face it, sometimes you never will get that chance. So, coming forward with open questions does not seem to get you anywhere close to where you want to go. You are finding yourself asking them questions like “What is it in my offer you like most?” only to have them ask you back “And what is the best […]
- Why Amin Talab is the right person to choose…
You hear clients coming forward with many reasons for choosing Amin Talab to support them with their negotiations. However, the most straight forward one is this: He delivers and improves their negotiation output. Because operating in a globalized world shows them one truth: It is not sufficient to understand your own culture and negotiation practice. You better know the pitfalls and tricks used on the international level. It is helpful to understand and compare different approaches and ways of thinking. That´s where Amin Talab´s knowledge and […]
The facts are all on the table… the client is not uninterested… but what are you doing now to have her sign? How can the deal be closed? This was one of the main cases in Round #34 each and every Sparrer had a chance to try his luck on. The results were mixed. Yes, it is possible, but not at every time and for everyone. Main take-aways from the sales case: The “sale” needs to have been prepared and introduced carefully. This starts with the […]
Dear Visitor, Strategic attitude and negotiation skills determine relationships, careers, and even the overall success of your life to a very special degree. The SparringClub is about setting ambitious goals and consistently achieving the best possible negotiation success with the Coaching support. In short: become the best version of yourself with my support e.g. in the monthly coaching sessions or in the Negotiation Sparring. There are only a few places available in the exclusive program, and I personally select participants with a view to mutual learning […]
One of the favorite activities of my year is coming up: Reviewing the old and preparing the new. What has changed? What did I achieve? Where am I coming from and how does this impact my future? As an entrepreneur, my starting point this year will again be the development of my business. As Austrian business we are obliged to keeping our accounting records 7 years. This means, we can review and completely close, and burn old, outdated records. Of course, the beauty is not only […]
Hallo Negotiation friends, Do you want to ensure reaching your objectives in upcoming negotiations? How about an independent second opinion on your strategy? Somebody to discuss tactics with confidentially? Heck, you can even rehearse upcoming sensitive phases of your negotiation (under whatever name it is conducted) and try out different options! You can do all that easily with a ONLINE JOKER FLEXIBLE: one-time or accompanying CONFIDENTIAL: for any kind of negotiation PRACTICAL: own browser based conference room – just click the link PERSONAL: 100% customized to you individually PROFESSIONAL: direct access to the negotiation expert […]
After finding out that everything in life is negotiation, and that you can learn negotiation skills if you put some time and effort into it, there is only one question remaining: What is the best way to practicing Negotiation Skills? After designing and teaching courses for 20+ years we thought we know pretty much about what helps our participants learn the best way. However, progress allows us to finetune our most efficient format, Negotiation Sparring, even a little further. How? Well, we can add to the […]
MEDIATION LOUNGE As the name implies, our informal getting together intends to bring all sorts of people together to exchange ideas & share news and approaches to conflict resolution. There is no better informal opportunity out there to meet people interested in conflict solving and negotiation in a casual and very personal way! You will also be able to get to know some of the authors of our Masterbooks series personally and are free to ask questions or discuss interesting items of their writings. This event is […]
Exciting, very personal and fully booked was our Sparring Round #30 last Friday. The negotiation cases this time were more internal in the area of conducting employee interviews & giving constructive criticism for peers. This is part of a trend that I am noticing more and more: The uncertainty about how to proceed in the business world needs to be discussed internally with key staff, colleagues and bosses. Competencies and tasks change much more frequently and quickly than in the past, and employees can no longer […]
It was an incredible “Live Feeling” seeing so many of you actively participating in our “Elevator Pitch Presentation” Event. Especially the Speed Negotiating part was quite an experience, matching people from Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany and Austria automatically, to practice to focus their message one-on-one for a short time. Here a quick summary video for you: Your Elevator Pitch preparation course will be available as long as you use it (use it or lose it – login at least once between rounds), so don´t forget to look through that once […]
It is my pleasure to invite you to come by – free of charge – to our Speed Negotiating Pre-Event #4 in our new Congress Hall: tomorrow Friday, April 2nd, 14.00 CET. I will interview our speaker Mladen Zaprianov on different situations to presenting projects and ideas on the “company inside” and how to adapt your Elevator Pitch to the expectations of your listener(s). Mladen Zaprianov is change expert with lots of experience in company and international settings will share his experience. (10 minutes) […]
Suddenly, products and services were no longer available. (Not only) Food was hoarded and businesses went bankrupt overnight. Crises like Covid-19 show the importance of a functioning market economy for all market participants, but also for the state community as such and can give previously unknown clarity. In addition to the loss of tax revenue and the range of products and services, small local companies (SMEs) in particular felt the “loss of the marketplace” very directly. These “small” companies are usually not in the limelight, but […]
Responsible Managers Are Rightly Complaining about Lacking Negotiation Skills Managers with outcome responsibility often tell me how frustrating it is asking their colleagues to prepare better for negotiations. They complain about lacking awareness for negotiation skills, or even outright misunderstanding of the very term “negotiations”. More often than not, it is not a lack of will that stops professionals focusing on their negotiating strategies and thus arriving at better results, but a costly lack of awareness: People want to believe they are just talking, meeting, discussing. […]
1. Assign responsibility for Your meeting process = appoint a moderator As explained in my previous post, not all meetings are meant for “equality” for a variety of reasons. A moderator helps participants focus, and guarantees security about the process and rules. Depending on the rules of the meeting, no one can speak without the moderator’s consent, and shy contributors are being nudged to share with his active invitation. This is even more important for online meetings, given the lack of body cues and failing audio […]
Ask Any Negotiation Question in“Ask Amin Anything” The Online format of group Coaching helps you find the ideal approach to your next negotiation and get inspired by the input of other negotiators, whether in sales, meetings, presentations or within organizational politics Are you interested in situations and roadblocks people face, and want to learn more about how these difficulties can be overcome? Do you want to profit from the motivation and inspiration inherent in a group exchange under professional supervision? Do you appreciate the opportunity to […]
The biggest pitfalls in (online) meetings YOUR FIRST STEP: Choose the basic Setup for your meeting When you are setting up a meeting, you do have to take a basic, but very important choice right in the beginning: Will the meeting be 1) “all equals“, meaning that all participants are on the same level and can contribute to process & content, or will the meeting be 2) moderated, i.e. will you or somebody else be the Meeting Master conducting it and be responsible for the process. […]
Setting, understanding and pursuing a goal: 1 of the 6 essential strengths of the Master Negotiator His unconditional orientation towards his own, but also his partner’s objectives, is one of the main success factors for the Master Negotiator (this article is an excerpt from the book “The Master Negotiator”). By neglecting his own objectives, he will hardly achieve them. Ignoring opposing objectives will leave his negotiation partner little reason to come to an agreement. Preparing well also means being aware of one´s own aims and the […]
Kineke Mulder conducted this interview for Chess unlimited* What brings the “Master Negotiator” to playing chess? As Keynote Speaker and Consultant my main tool is the spoken language. For a change, I enjoy interaction without having to talk. Ideally, this is considered polite when playing chess. Strategic dialogue without spoken words is exciting and leads to be in the very moment. I can focus on the position on the board and be with my myself and my thoughts, contrary to my professional responsibilty, where I always […]
Each now and then people reach out to tell me that one of my books has been reviewed in their country. I really appreciate it, since it is not easy for my small team to keep up with developments in all the different places. This time Arno Baltin from Estonia let me know about his book review in the Estonian journal “director”. Thank you and I don´t understand a word, but it looks nice: pdf: Review Meisterläbirääkija Please find more reviews (in English & German) here The […]
Important Points To Consider When Starting Out to Improving Your Negotiating Skills So you have decided you could profit a lot by focusing on your negotiation skills. And you are right! Whether in relationships with clients, your spouse or your boss: you can lose a lot by doing it wrong. But how should you do it? Getting a book and read through it certainly is a good start, but what about applying? Should you hire a Coach as Negotation Joker to give you feedback and support? […]
Striving to improving your negotiation skills can be a humbling enterprise. When designing the Master Negotiator Curriculum, I ensured participants learn by mastering different objectives in negotiation cases, i.e. role-play simulations. I am choosing these cases specifically to expose inconsistencies in argumentation, option seeking or strategy, such as the tendency to be overconfident or to assume that they are in a zero-sum-game. Delegates (and people in general) tend to feel threatened when they discover that they have been making bad decisions because their intuition was flawed. If […]