I
have always thought that being a talent manager is such an intriguing and
exciting job. You are around the most popular stars and you get to interact
with them all the time. And the best part is, that you get to speak on their
behalf which means you play an important part in their lives.
However,
after representing Susanah, I felt like being a talent manager is a really
tough job after all. You got to have the guts to shoot for the stars without sounding
or looking so eager. You have got to ask for heaven without directly saying so.
You have got to look down on your toes without losing your track and focus on
your goal. And you have got to keep your ambitions high (for your star and
yourself) without being arrogant. It is such a complicated job which involves
more than just ordinary people skills but something that requires a combination
of analytical, financial and technical competencies. How do you maintain a nice
reassuring smile in front of the people you are dealing with even if they are
offering such a cheap bargain? How do you tell them subtly that you are
displeased with the offer without annoying them? How do you establish your
position and communicate your interests without revealing too much about what
your client wants?
Being
a talent agent [for a moment] taught me a lot of things about negotiation.
First is to know who you are representing. What are his or her strengths and
weaknesses? What leverage can you use on her behalf? What can the opposite side
(and other interest groups) use against him or her? Second is to know the
audience- the people on the opposite corner. Knowing the audience means knowing
their position and interests, and analyzing the options available to them. In
the case of APCC, the position and interest of the head was unknown, and it
would take a lot of probing into his agent or representative to bring this to
fold. If we do not have a means of getting to know him, then we should be able
to find out as much information as we can from his representative. His words
and deeds might reveal something about who he is representing so it is
important to carefully listen to subtle hints. In my case, I always try to
calculate the person opposite me first by gauging his handshake because it
often reveals how warm or engaging (soft) he is, or how firm and difficult (hard)
he would be.
Third,
it is important to determine what outcome we want to derive out of the
negotiation- based on the intent of our client and the firm we belong to. Coming
to the negotiating table with the representative of APCC, I felt my preparation
was not solid enough and I did not know what exactly I wanted for my client
other than landing the role and getting paid with whatever amount. This should
never happen in “real life” negotiations where it is critical to know what your
mission is because it will tell you when to “assault” or when to “retreat and
reorganize” and fight another day. Knowing when to pause and assess the process
gives you the opportunity to determine whether you are playing it fairly and
squarely, and whether you are taking advantage or being taken advantage of by
the other party.
While
bagging a handsome deal is the immediate goal, it is also important to remember
that the whole process is actually an exercise on relationship-building. The
process and outcome of the negotiation determines whether you will be able to
build a relationship and develop partnership, or nip it right away. The kind of
impression that we give to other party during the meeting will somehow
determine whether it will be the last or the first of many engagements in the
future. First impression matters more often than not. We must remember that we
are dealing with human beings and not just representatives of the other party.
Human as we are, we will always have our biases even before going to bargaining
table, hence, it is important to project a positive unassuming personality. We
must learn how to separate the person from the issue or problem at hand. On the
other hand, we should also remember that at the end of the day, we are
accountable to our client, to our firm and to ourselves.
Lastly,
listening and observing is crucial in a negotiation. As we negotiate, we should
never get drowned in the volume of our own words. The best negotiator must be a
detective- an intelligence operative who remembers what he hears and sees, and
uses it at the precise moment. We can maximize learning from the other party
just by listening to them. They may even unknowingly share with you their own
negotiation techniques which will come handy in the future.
