Author: Pamela Swift

Article Contributed By Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter”

Social media has blown on to the scene the last couple of years with the popular websites of Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and many others. Nobody can tell for sure what social media will look like five years from now, but what everyone can agree upon is that the concept of using the internet to socially communicate is not going away.

For salespeople, an important question is, “Can social media help in negotiating?”

My answer is, “Yes, it can.” I’m not saying you should directly negotiate with another person by way of a social media (although I suppose there might be exceptions where this is possible). What I am saying is that social media is a perfect tool that someone can use to help frame a situation or build their on-line reputation before the negotiations even begin.

Negotiations are won or lost in two critical areas. The first is the period of time leading up to the start of the negotiations, when both parties are preparing to negotiate. The second is at the end, when the two parties are working out the details of the negotiation.

With regard to social media, I am not an advocate of conducting business negotiations in public. The reason I feel this way is because it is important throughout the negotiation process to maintain respect and integrity for everyone involved. This can be very hard to ensure if stuff is being thrown around for others to read and see. This is the reason I say the best use of social media in negotiations is before the negotiations even begin.

Using social media before negotiations begin allows you to establish the context of who you are and what your expected outcome might be. Best example of this is Donald Trump. He uses social media tools and the media in general to let everyone know who and what he is.

Trump’s goal is to make his brand known, and his brand really is himself. He wants his brand to appear favorable. He does this by coming across as a shrewd businessperson, and he uses social media to further this persona. On the one hand, this gives him an upper hand in any negotiations. On the other hand it also alerts everyone who might be planning to do business with him that he most likely is going to be very tough.

Conversely, a person who has used social media to cast a tough but fair image is billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The image he has crafted in social media and the media in general is one of a very smart long-term investor known for making quick deals based on how he sees a situation. The result of this image is many people might be far more willing to enter into negotiations with Warren Buffett under the belief they would be treated more fairly than if they were negotiating with Donald Trump.

The examples I use are extremes, but you see the picture. This is why I am a very strong believer that anyone who is planning to do any amount of negotiating with others needs to make sure their internet image is the one they want.

Use social media sites to position you and your company in the manner you want to be seen by others. Be active in how you do this. If you’re not active yourself, other people may craft an image of you that is not accurate.

If you are about to enter into negotiations with another party over a business contract or anything else for that matter, the other party likely will “Google” your name or company to see what they can learn about you. (This is a very common practice).

The other party is going to read all they can about you, and what they read may impact how they choose to negotiate with you.

Some people may like to believe that social media does not have a place in the professional business world. Sorry, but that is old-school thinking (or maybe I should say, “That is so 2009 thinking!”) Today, search engines capture everything, and people expect to find out everything. When someone can’t find something on the web, they become that much more suspicious.

Finally, don’t think for a moment the web is going to become any less powerful in the years to come. Just the opposite is true. It’s going to become more powerful. The sooner you accept the reality that you need a solid social media strategy, the better. The strategy of what you post, how you position yourself and so forth is up to you. Choose wisely and be consistent.

Always remember that the respect you show to others and the integrity you live by are priceless. If you build your social media strategy around respect and integrity, you’ll be well on your way to positioning yourself properly for today and tomorrow.

About the Author
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on www.Facebook.com/TheSalesHunter, www.Twitter.com/TheSalesHunter and www.LinkedIn.com/in/MarkHunter.

Article Contributed by Skip Weisman

National Hockey League Hall of Famer Mark Messier is recognized as one of the greatest leaders in the history of professional team sports. This reputation is backed by the fact Messier is the only player to captain two separate teams to the Stanley Cup Championship.

So, when Messier talks leadership, people should pay attention.

After winning his sixth Stanley Cup in 1994, and the first for his New York Rangers in 54 years, Messier was quoted in a Sports Illustrated article on how he gets the most out of the players as a team captain:

“To lead effectively, you have to have the trust of those on your team, and to do that you have to find a way to connect with them, to find common ground with every individual. It’s a people issue, not a sports (or business/job) issue. The way to find that common thread is compassion.”

Messier’s quote describes the highest level of leadership communication, what I call Level 3 Leadership Communication.

As Messier’s quote reveals, Level 3 Leadership Communication is about connecting with the individuals on a team so that the leader understands what uniquely motivates each.

One of the roadblocks to a leader embracing and engaging in Level 3 Leadership Communication comes from one of the earliest lessons children learn in life, something called the “Golden Rule.”

To recount that lesson from early childhood, the “Golden Rule” states, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

On the surface it seems like a great approach.

The challenge is that statement comes with a pre-supposition that every person a leader leads will have the same interests, desires and motivations. And those interests, desires, and motivates will remain constant throughout the term the individual is working with you.

These assumptions regularly cause misunderstandings between leaders and their respective team members, which causes the erosion of motivation, morale and trust.

An approach that champion leaders like Messier apply is called “the Champion Leaders’ Rule,” which states, “Do unto others as they want to be done unto.”

This approach takes a concerted effort to invest time and energy in getting to know the personal aspirations and motivations of the individuals on the team, as Messier noted. But as Messier’s six Stanley Cup Championships attest, the return on that investment can be tremendous.

There is a strong caveat to applying Leadership Communication Level 3, however, because a leader that has not invested time and energy in building the foundation in Leadership Communication Level 1 (self-awareness and self-communication) will do more to de-motivate team members and will sabotage the trust and commitment necessary to generate high-performance from individual team members.

To prove my point above, think about how many 1:1 ‘performance review’ discussions fail to generate the positive feelings and the performance improvements discussed in the session with a team member. This is often the case even when a leader gets “agreement” from the team member regarding the improvements that need to be developed.

Too many performance review discussions end up creating animosity, distrust and confusion instead of the intended outcome of higher performance.

When a leader invests in themselves in Leadership Communication Level 1 to:

• become self-aware of how they want and need to show up as a leader, and
• how they need to project themselves when they are in front of their team members (Leadership Communication Level 2), plus
• develop their personal internal and external communication, either individually or collectively,

the results received from the team will grow exponentially, and it will happen with you spending significantly less time trying to motivate the team as a unit because the team members will take ownership and responsibility of the effort.

About The Author
Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com. If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WeismanSuccessResources.com.