Cranium Booster: The Mirage

Cranium Booster: The Mirage: "Image by Katinka Brusselsprouts via Flickr Day Forty Eight, Buzzwordy purposely dragged his lazy feet across the company's parking lot. ..."

The Mirage

Image by Katinka Brusselsprouts via Flickr

Day Forty Eight,

Buzzwordy purposely dragged his lazy feet across the company's parking lot.  He had never taken such baby steps before - his entire body gyrated like a half-dead cobra or a marathon runner gasping for his last breath.  His mind was full of anger and dissatisfaction, and he knew that Bif and Xavia had intentionally pushed him to the edge of despair.  He found himself drowning in a sea of mental wreckage, and each baby step had moved him closer to the epic center of hate and denial.

"May be I should just quit!  No more of these pathetic feelings, these crappy feelings are eating me up!" murmured Buzzwordy as he continued to drag his feet towards the office building.

"Good to see you alive and well.  Here is your new assignment folder which Bif calls it the Mirage.  You have less than 24 hours to comb through this folder and take a red eye from SFO to Toronto.  You will leave for Tel Aviv from Toronto.  All the information are in this folder.  I mean all the information!" said Xavia in a rapid fire manner.

"But Xavia, there is no chance for us to ever get those IP from this Israeli design house!  You and I both know that this is the truth.  Listen Xavia, Bif knows this too!" shouted Buzzwordy.

"Your folder is here.  Remember that you have less than 24 hours!" giggled Xavia as he slowly backed away from Buzzwordy.

"Holy blunderbuzz Xavia.  This is insane and I will prove to you and Bif that I'm 100% correct!" yelled Buzzwordy hysterically.

The marketing whiz kid was busy dousing his face with cold water.  He soon realized that he was back in the same washroom in SFO, and this realization had totally numbed his sense of acuity.  The so-called Mirage project folder contained all the needed background information for him to digest and map out a logical course of actions.  Upon landing in Tel Aviv, he would be picked up by a designated driver named Shimir from the IP design house and taken to a hotel for a 3-night stay.  Shimir was supposed to be his guide and bodyguard during his visit to Tel Aviv.  His whole trip was nothing but a negotiation trip, a tough and gut-wrenching one which he dreaded to confront in his subconscious mind.

Buzzwordy stared into the washroom mirror intensively.  He saw a middle-aged man struggling to find peace within himself.

"Ha ha, I am the ideal candidate for this death march!" smirked Buzzwordy sarcastically.

He doused more cold water onto his face and let it run down his chin and neck.  He patted himself on the back and silently congratulated himself for taking on this insane project.

"It is time to board the plane!" whispered Buzzwordy.


I will be back on Day Forty Nine.


Buzzwordy

 

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Cranium Booster: I will accept this challenge!

Cranium Booster: I will accept this challenge!: "Image by kevindooley via Flickr Day Forty Seven, The plane had finally touched the ground in SFO and everyone was eager to disemba..."

I will accept this challenge!

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

Day Forty Seven,

The plane had finally touched the ground in SFO and everyone was eager to disembark.  Buzzwordy found himself reluctant to be the first one to get off the plane.  His conversations with Bif during the flight had completely turned him off and he was in no mood to take on any worldly affairs at all.

"Heck, I'm finally back at home!  Back to this frigging mess...  Back to this team of uncaring people...  What should I do?" Buzzwordy found himself struggling internally for the right answer.

The plane was becoming empty and he knew that he had to drag his feet off the aircraft before the cleaning crew arrived.

"So what is your answer?" asked Bif while bumping into Buzzwordy at the baggage claim area.

"Oh, by the way, if you decide not to accept my invitation, there is no need for you to go back to the office.  Someone from HR will contact you to take care of your termination package." explained Bif while clearing his throat.

Buzzwordy gave his big boss a very cold stare, the kind of stare that could easily chill someone's bone rapidly.  He went into a deep trance without lifting his eyes from Bif's forehead.  Buzzwordy spoke no words and made no body movements.


"So I guess that you've decided to abort this mission.  HR will be in touch with you first thing tomorrow morning!" shouted Bif as he slowly backed away from Buzzwordy.


"Wait Bif!  I will accept this challenge!" yelled Buzzwordy.


Bif threw his hands up in the air, then, patted his head gently before giving Buzzwordy his approval gesture.  He did not slow down to have any further exchanges with Buzzwordy, and instead, took off like a bat out of hell with his luggage.


Feeling totally defeated, Buzzwordy purposely took his time to pick up his luggage.  He gazed at all the activities in the baggage claim area and took great mental notes of the types of people whom he found interesting.


"Buzzwordy, this is Xavia!  I have your next assignment folder with me.  Please come into the office now so we can discuss your next project.  I believe Bif is treating this project with the highest priority so there is no room for a single mistake.  I'm sure that he has already warned you.  By the way, you really have to redeem yourself from the mess that you created in Shenzhen!" listened Buzzwordy with half of his brain shut off.


"OK Xavia.  I will see you shortly!" replied the marketing whiz kid in a soft-spoken manner.


"This job is really killing me and I'm going to Tel Aviv to fail!" snarled Buzzwordy.


See you all on Day Forty Eight.



Buzzwordy

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Cranium Booster: I will be back!!!

Cranium Booster: I will be back!!!: "Image via Wikipedia My Fellow Buzzwordy Comrades, Sorry for my disappearing act. I had an opportunity to tour Asia and saw many ..."

I will be back!!!

Image via Wikipedia

My Fellow Buzzwordy Comrades,



Sorry for my disappearing act.  I had an opportunity to tour Asia and saw many fascinating things during my trip.  All these wonderful encounters will help shape my Buzzwordy tales in the near future.

I'll be back with the Day Forty Seven tale next week.

Thanks for your support.

Cheers,

George

Cranium Booster: You must decide now!

Cranium Booster: You must decide now!: "  Image via Wikipedia Day Forty Six, Buzzwordy found himself standing next to seat C49 and staring down at Bif. Bif lifted his..."

You must decide now!





Image via Wikipedia

Day Forty Six,

Buzzwordy found himself standing next to seat C49 and staring down at Bif.  Bif lifted his head up and gave him an emotionless look that basically told him that his life could very well go on without Buzzwordy.


"Look Bif, I know where you are going with this!  Please just be upfront about it, you are going to sack me once we get back to the States, right?" asked the frustrated Buzzwordy.


"You're quite imaginative Buzzwordy.  You need to ask yourself why on earth that I have to wait until we get back home before I could get rid of you.  Your logic does not make any sense!" replied Bif in a monotone voice.


"Then what is on your mind?" inquired Buzzwordy.


"You need to listen up carefully.  Honestly speaking, the thought of removing you from the team did occur to me when you were in my hotel room.  Because of the way you handled Mr. Wang or Madam Fei, our revenue outlook for the next 2 years will look really pissy.  Our board is not going to like what you did in Shenzhen.  This is the fact.  I spoke with Xavia regarding you and he gave me a very good idea.  Remember, this is not a request but a must succeed mission for you.  Are you ready?" said Bif.


"What kind of must succeed mission Bif?" inquired the concerned marketing whiz kid.



"So you're ready.  Xavia and I have been working with an intellectual property (IP) design house in Tel Aviv for the past 6 months and we're simply circulating the wagon.  There has been no progress.  I just spoke with their new CEO prior to coming to Shenzhen and he had invited me to go to Tel Aviv and have a resolution meeting with him.  The whole objective is to negotiate hard and get their IP really dirt cheap without losing their technical support commitment.  This IP will be used in most of out next generation widgets, so if we can secure this piece of the puzzle, our revenue outlook will be fine.  This will even out the revenue shortfall caused by your disappointing performance in Shenzhen.  Are you with me so far?" explained Bif in a stern manner.  



"These guys are notorious for being tough negotiators.  From a rank and file perspective, how could I negotiate with their CEO directly?  I don't have any history on this company and what's been done by you and Xavia so far.  I just feel like I will be walking into a room full of traps and not knowing where to move my feet.  Also, ...!" complained Buzzwordy.


"Enough said, are you in or not?  Let me make it simple for your little twisted mind Buzzwordy.  As long as you stay working for me, this will be your next assignment.  If you choose to leave us, then more power to you and don't let the door hit you on your way out.  You must decide now!" said Bif forcefully.


"How much time do I have and when will I go to Tel Aviv?" asked the demoralized Buzzwordy.


"You must decide at this very moment.  If you choose to accept this assignment, you will leave for Toronto within 24 hours after we get back to the States and head over to Tel Aviv from there.  Again, you will travel by yourself and your duration in Tel Aviv will be 4 days and 3 nights.  Xavia will provide the details to you in a folder when you get back to the office.  So, what is your answer?" asked the impatient Bif.



"Bif, I need some time to think alone.  Can I let you know when we land in SFO?" requested Buzzwordy.


Bif didn't bother to look at Buzzwordy but he did nod his head gently before putting his eye patch on.


"Thanks Bif!" responded Buzzwordy before heading back to his seat.



At this moment, Buzzwordy's head was getting ready to explode.  He was appreciative that Xavia made a last minute attempt to save his rear, however, this must succeed mission has zero probability of winning.  Bif wanted a sacrificial lamb to take the blame when the IP negotiation falls apart and he is the perfect candidate to get caught in the crossfire.


"Get some sleep Buzzwordy and lets see what the deal is when you wake up!" snarled Buzzwordy.


Looks like Buzzwordy has to make the call when the plane lands in SFO.  I'll return on Day Forty Seven.


Buzzwordy

      

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Cranium Booster: A samurai showdown!

Cranium Booster: A samurai showdown!: "Image by Not Quite a Photographr via Flickr Day Forty Five, It was a relatively warm morning in Shenzhen. Buzzwordy was trying ext..."

A samurai showdown!

Image by Not Quite a Photographr via Flickr

Day Forty Five,

It was a relatively warm morning in Shenzhen.  Buzzwordy was trying extremely hard to stay awake since he did not turn in the night before.  Bif's comment had literally torn him apart and he was morally deprived by how his CEO had treated him.


He was even more disappointed with Xavia because his immediate supervisor did not make any attempt to call or send him an email regarding Bif's comment.  He was 150% certain that Bif had already informed Xavia to prepare his termination package.  Ever since Buzzwordy could remember, no one was able to survive in Bif's company if he fouled up a major deal.


"Heck, I have to wait for another day to get my termination notice.  I just wish that Bif could have told me last night!" snarled Buzzwordy.


The trip from the hotel to the airport was very much a facade to Buzzwordy.  He vaguely remembered that he got on the right airport shuttle bus, arrived at the right terminal, picked up his boarding pass from the right check-in counter, and got on the right airplane bounded for SFO.

He had completely lost his appetite during the flight and only drank water to keep his body ticking.  To make the matter worst, he wasn't able to sleep at all.  This insomnia was making him flustered about everything and he was telling himself that he might confront Bif and Xavia in a samurai showdown manner just to vent out his discontent.


"I have nothing to lose anymore, absolutely nothing!" murmured Buzzwordy.


He looked everywhere inside the cabin and did not see Bif.  He was quite sure that his CEO was on the same flight with him.  


"May be I should just track Bif down and confront him now." said Buzzwordy as he was getting out from his seat.


"Hi sir, are you Mr. Buzzwordy in seat F50?" asked a well- mannered air stewardess.


"Yes, I am!" replied Buzzwordy.


"Great, this note is for you." said the air stewardess while handing the note over to the marketing whiz kid.


Buzzwordy opened the mysterious note and found the following handwriting,



See me now.  I'm in C49.

Bif



"Perfect timing, I'm going to give it to Bif right now!" smirked Buzzwordy.


Will it be a samurai showdown on Day Forty Six?  Stay tuned everyone!



Buzzwordy
  

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Cranium Booster: So be it!

Cranium Booster: So be it!: "Image via Wikipedia Day Forty Four, 'Bif, are you in your room? I must speak to you immediately.' insisted Buzzwordy while knock..."

So be it!

Image via Wikipedia

Day Forty Four,

"Bif, are you in your room?  I must speak to you immediately." insisted Buzzwordy while knocking on his CEO's hotel room door.

Buzzwordy looked frantic and upset, and judging by the sweat on his forehead, it was obvious that the marketing whiz kid was in total despair.


"What the heck is going on?" shouted Bif as he opened the door.


"Bif, Mr. Wang had just informed me that he is terminating our negotiation.  The entire deal is off!" responded the panicky Buzzwordy.


"What are you talking about?  What is off?" shrieked Bif.

"Our negotiation proposal!" replied the hyperventilated Buzzwordy.


Bif grabbed Buzzwordy by his shirt and yanked him into his room.  Without any hesitation, he snatched the letter from Buzzwordy's hand and began to read it will undivided attention.


"This is crap!  Pure crap!  Buzzwordy, find Mr. Wang now and we are not leaving Shenzhen until this issue is resolved!" demanded Bif.











While the two of them were spinning out of control and worrying about the revenue impact from Mr. Wang's cancellation, Bif picked up a terse email from Mr. Wang on his notebook.




Mr. Bif;



I gave the termination letter to Mr. Buzzwordy.  Our relationship is officially ended. 


Good luck to you.


Sincerely Yours,




Mr. Wang

CC: Mr. Buzzwordy, Mr. Xavia



"Bif, here is an email from Xavia.  I think he just sent it." said Buzzwordy while staring at Bif's computer screen.


Bif,

In my opinion, our deal with Dominance is dead.  Lets retrench.

Xavia


Bif kept shaking his head.  He clenched his fists and used the pillows on his bed as his punching bag.  No words were spoken between him and Buzzwordy, and it was distinctively obvious that the Ambiance in the air was unbearably pungent.

"Bif, what should we do now?" inquired Buzzwordy.

"You mishandled this deal and now it is dead.  I'm taking you off this project now.  Leave my room and don't let the door hit you on your way out.  You, Xavia and I will meet back in the office once we return.  Now, get out!" yelled Bif.

Buzzwordy excused himself and dragged his half-dead body back to his room.  He was upset, depressed, and tremendously jittery.  Upon reflection, this Shenzhen trip was the worst one for him.  It was a loser from the very beginning.

While squatting next to the hotel desk, he began to tell himself that his career at Bif's company has finally come to an end.  He was so convinced that Bif would request Xavia to fire him once the three of them meet up in the office.

"So be it!" sighed the marketing whiz kid.


Looks like Day Forty Five could be Buzzwordy's final chapter.




Buzzwordy  

 

 

 

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Cranium Booster: Negotiation Re-visit - Divide and Conquer

Cranium Booster: Negotiation Re-visit - Divide and Conquer: "Image via Wikipedia Buzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips Negotiation Re-visit The following tip was introduced as the t..."

Negotiation Re-visit - Divide and Conquer

Image via Wikipedia

Buzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips


Negotiation Re-visit



The following tip was introduced as the third one from my September 14, 2010 negotiation post,

Always ask for one-on-one during negotiation.  If the other side insists on a panel negotiation style, then ask to meet them in a noisy location.  Use the noise as an excuse to identify and home into just one representative on the other side to drive the message across.  This Divide and Conquer method works well in many cases.


Lets use Buzzwordy in this example.


The Location: customer's sprawling meeting room


The Parties: Buzzwordy and the customer negotiation team


The Topic: extended product warranty request


"Mr. Customer, this is a really pleasant surprise to me.  I did not anticipate being greeted by your entire team.  Wow!  By the way, since we are cutting it pretty close to the lunch hour, if you and your team don't mind, I know a great restaurant that is not too far from here.  They have great Mexican food and the service is excellent!" suggested Buzzwordy as he entered into the oversized meeting room.

The customer and his team looked at one another.  Some of the members nodded and Buzzwordy didn't sense a huge objection from the customer side.

"I guess it will be OK.  In the interest of time, lets get going now!" responded the customer.

Buzzwordy managed to get a big enough table to accommodate the customer, his team and him.  Little did the customer and his team knew, this Mexican restaurant was a bit on the noisy side.  People really need to raise their voices to get heard.

"Pardon me, I couldn't quite catch what your team member was asking!" apologized Buzzwordy.

Another team member made a terse comment and Buzzwordy implemented the same tactic when responding to her.

"Mr. Customer, I'm terribly sorry for not catching what your team is saying.  This is a great restaurant and it attracts so many people.  I think it is a little challenging to have our extended product warranty discussion with everyone at the table.  If you don't mind, why don't you and I discuss first and we can update your team later.  Is this acceptable to you?" proposed Buzzwordy.

Since the customer was no longer in his office, he lost his home town advantage.  In addition, he was thrown into a more relaxed and neutral location that caused him to drop his guard.

"I guess I can go along with your suggestion for the time being" responded the customer.

"Thanks very much for being so accommodating." smiled Buzzwordy.


As we can see from this example, Buzzwordy was able to strategize a smart little plan by getting the customer to change the negotiation location from his home base to a neutral one.  By leveraging the noisy environment inside the restaurant, he was able to further alienate the customer from his team and have an one-on-one discussion despite the presence of the customer's team. This divide-and-conquer method gave Buzzwordy an edge over the customer in negotiating the extended product warranty deal.

A three gun salute to Buzzwordy for a job well done.


Buzzwordy










Note from Buzzwordy


If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.

http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com/

Questions

If you are interested in contributing to Cranium Booster-Buzzwordy, please send an email to gwu@buzzwordy.com.

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Cranium Booster: What?

Cranium Booster: What?: "Day Forty Three, Mr. Wang asked one of his staffs to escort Buzzwordy and Bif back to their hotel. He gave both of them a nasty st..."

What?

Day Forty Three,

Mr. Wang asked one of his staffs to escort Buzzwordy and Bif back to their hotel.  He gave both of them a nasty stare before they left the meeting room but he refrained from saying anything to either one of them.

Buzzwordy felt a sense of relief once he got back to his hotel room.  He knew that his action had royally offended Mr. Wang, however, given the disadvantageous position that Bif and he were in, he concluded that calling the meeting off abruptly was the best option for them to take.


The challenge that Buzzwordy had was to figure out how to win this negotiation without initiating an all out war with Mr. Wang.  He knew that Bif wasn't going to do anything, hence, the burden would be on his shoulder to make sure that he could end up being the winner in this tricky negotiation.


"Bif, are you in your room, I need to discuss with you about how to move forward with Mr. Wang?" asked Buzzwordy while standing outside of his Boss's room.


"Buzzwordy, I have a terrible headache at this moment.  What I want you to do is to resolve this negotiation with Mr. Wang within today.  I don't know what you're planning to do but it really doesn't matter to me since you are the one who called this meeting off without a proper ending.  So, fixed it!" shouted Bif from inside the room.

"Alright Bif, I'll take care of it!" responded Buzzwordy.

It was an extremely down moment for Buzzwordy, especially knowing that Bif wasn't going to do anything to support him.  He thought about Xavia back in the states and told himself that there was nothing that his immediate boss could do to help him out in this case.  Once again, he had to fight the whole battle by himself.





He sent the below quick email to Mr. Wang and cc'ed Bif and Xavia,


Dear Mr. Wang,

I'm feeling much better now and if you're still available, I would like to re-start our meeting anytime this afternoon. 

Please let me know.

Regards,

Buzzwordy


CC: Bif, Xavia


Oddly, Mr. Wang did not respond to him.  Buzzwordy waited for more than two hours before sending another email to him.  Again, Mr. Wang did not reply.

It was almost dinner time and Buzzwordy was becoming restless inside the hotel room.  While slamming his body repeatedly into one of the walls to vent out his frustration, he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Buzzwordy inside?" asked a wimpy female voice.

Buzzwordy came running to the door and opened it quickly.  He saw an old lady standing outside of his room with a tiny envelope in her hand.

"Yes, I am.  Are you with the hotel or did Mr. Wang send you here?" questioned the marketing whiz kid.

"I was sent by Mr. Wang to give you this envelope." replied the old lady.

"Thanks very much for bringing this envelope to me." replied Buzzwordy while reaching out to receive the envelope.

The old lady left the scene hurriedly and Buzzwordy wasted no time to open the envelope.  He found a handwritten letter inside and suspected that it must be Mr. Wang's penmanship.

He gazed at the letter in total disbelief and was completely disoriented.

"What?" screamed Buzzwordy.

Lets reconnect on Day Forty Four.


Buzzwordy

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Cranium Booster: Negotiation Re-visit - go easy on the water!

Cranium Booster: Negotiation Re-visit - go easy on the water!: "Image via Wikipedia Buzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips Negotiation Re-visit The following tip was introduced as the second o..."

Negotiation Re-visit - go easy on the water!

Image via Wikipedia

Buzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips


Negotiation Re-visit


The following tip was introduced as the second one from my September 14, 2010 negotiation post,


When the other side offers you something to drink, always choose water over anything else.  Naturally, a bottled water with a tightly sealed cap is preferred.  Make sure that you check for bubbles inside the bottle - if bubbles are seen, don't drink that bottle.  This means that it has been tampered.  With a clear bottled water, you don't need to drink too much, just a tiny sip to keep your mouth moist will work.


Lets use Buzzwordy in this example.


The Location: customer's dingy office


The Parties: Buzzwordy and the customer


The Topic: policy adjustment request


"Welcome to my joint Mr. Buzzwordy.  I hope that you had a wonderful flight!" greeted the customer.

"Thank you kindly for your asking Mr. Customer.  My flight has been decent." replied Buzzwordy while shaking the customer's hand.

"Great!  Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable.  Can I offer you anything, will water or juice be fine?" suggested the customer.

"Bottled water will be just fine.  Thanks very much." confirmed Buzzwordy.

Once the customer returned with the bottled water.  Buzzwordy kept staring at it to make sure that there were no suspicious bubbles inside.  He did it so subtly that the customer couldn't detect anything obtrusive about his behavior.  After he had the opportunity to scan the entire bottle a few times and come to the conclusion that everything looked normal, he proceeded to uncap the bottle.

"Shall we start our meeting?" asked the anxious customer.

"Absolutely!" agreed Buzzwordy while sipping his water gently.


Anyhow, it was a productive meeting.  The customer was happy with how knowledgeable Buzzwordy was with his company's policies as well as understanding his hot buttons.  By taking in the water gradually, Buzzwordy didn't have to make multiple excuses about going to the washroom.  This made the meeting go smooth and effective.


So hats off to Buzzwordy for going slow on consuming his bottled water and making the negotiation meeting go smooth and effective.


Buzzwordy



Note from Buzzwordy


If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.

http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com/

Questions

If you are interested in contributing to Cranium Booster-Buzzwordy, please send an email to gwu@buzzwordy.com.

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Cranium Booster: Well gentlemen, time is running out!

Cranium Booster: Well gentlemen, time is running out!: "Image via WikipediaDay Forty Two, Buzzwordy and Bif were staring at each other, dazed, confused, and could hardly utter a word. Mr. ..."

Well gentlemen, time is running out!

Image via Wikipedia

Day Forty Two,

Buzzwordy and Bif were staring at each other, dazed, confused, and could hardly utter a word.  Mr. Wang saw their crumbling composure as an opportunity for him to wedge into their territory.

"Please don't let my physical transformation scares you off.  My understanding is that you are here for this important negotiation.  In the interest of time, we should get started now.  Do you two agree?" proposed the unscrupulous Mr. Wang.

"You are right Mr. Wang, we should get going on this.  If you don't mind, I would like Buzzwordy to be the primary negotiator and I will support him whenever needed." replied Bif.

"No issue Mr. Bif, so lets review our latest proposal together!" said Mr. Wang while gesturing to one of his assistants to get the overhead projector ready.

"Excuse me Mr. Wang, I don't mean being a pest at this meeting. Could you or someone explain to me why were there so many emails between us with Madame Fei's name on them?  Based on my quick analysis, your physical transformation date doesn't correlate with some of the dates in the emails!" interrogated Buzzwordy.

"What do you mean Mr. Buzzwordy?" asked the unpleasant Mr. Wang. 

Bif gave Buzzwordy a dirty look and shook his head.  It was obvious that he didn't want to start a battle with Dominance Technology in their backyard.  By the look on Buzzwordy's face, he was concerned that this marketing whiz kid would refuse to drop his interrogation.

"Mr. Wang, I'm very sorry if my question has offended you.  Please accept my apology.  Why don't we just focus on our negotiation?" suggested Mr. Buzzwordy.

"Gentlemen, Let me make myself clear.  If you continue to bring up Madame Fei in our meeting, I will end our negotiation immediately.  Is my message clear?" demanded Mr. Wang.


"Agreed!" nodded Bif and Buzzwordy in unison.







The projector was ready and Mr. Wang started to pinpoint some of the key topics for negotiation.  The list was emphatically long and many of the issues were sticky ones.  Both Bif and Buzzwordy were busy jotting down their concerns while Mr. Wang continued to bring up more and more topics.


"Mr. Wang, since we only have one day in Shenzhen, I'm afraid that we may not be able to complete our negotiation in time!" expressed the concerned Bif.


"Mr. Bif, please don't worry.  I have already requested my team to come up with the answers for all the topics.  If you and Mr. Buzzwordy find them acceptable, all you have to do is to agree to our answers and we can make this meeting go very quickly.  By the way, I have planned a dinner reception for the two of you" proposed Mr. Wang.

Buzzwordy knew that Mr. Wang was setting up a trap for the two of them.  He was going to use time on his side to force Bif to agree to all the terms and then take both of them out to dinner to celebrate his personal triumph.  The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.  He peeked across the table and saw Bif in full perspiration mode, just a terrible way to show his true color to Mr. Wang. 

"Well gentlemen, what do you think?" asked the cunning Mr. Wang.

Bif was confused and nervous, and he kept rubbing his eyes while staring at all the topics on the screen.  Buzzwordy saw Mr. Wang grinning and part of his face was twitching uncontrollably.  He told himself that unless he came up with something quick, Bif would lose his shirt in this negotiation.

"Well gentlemen, time is running out, especially for the two of you.  What do you want to do?" pressured Mr. Wang.

Without a sign of warning, Buzzwordy stood up and signaled Bif to get up as well.  His action took Mr. Wang and his team by surprise.

"Mr. Wang, I feel light headed all of a sudden.  If you don't mind, I would like to return to the hotel and rest.  I'm very sorry to cause you and your team this inconvenience." said Buzzwordy apologetically.

"What?  You're not sick or are you really ill?" questioned Mr. Wang skeptically.

The negotiation will continue on Day Forty Three.


Buzzwordy


Note from Buzzwordy



If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.

http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com/


Questions

If you are interested in contributing to Cranium Booster-Buzzwordy, please send an email to gwu@buzzwordy.com.










  

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Cranium Booster: Negotiation re-visit

Cranium Booster: Negotiation re-visit: "Image by jonny goldstein via Flickr Buzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips Negotiation Re-visit Hello Fans and Readers of Buzzwordy..."

Negotiation re-visit

Image by jonny goldstein via Flickr

Buzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips

Negotiation Re-visit

Hello Fans and Readers of Buzzwordy's Cranium Booster Tales,

Since posting my top 10 negotiation tips on September 14, 2010, I've been getting comments from some readers expressing their interests in seeing illustrations and examples for these tips.  After running into more readers over this weekend, I feel compelled to put some examples together in order to make my tips stick in people's minds.

The following tip happens to be the first one from my September 14, 2010 negotiation post. 

When negotiating with your clients and vendors, never give them a clear indication of how far you are willing to go - whether the price is up or down.  Just sit tight, smile, and stick to your gun.  Usually a poker face works every time.  Time is your best friend in negotiation - learn to love it.



Lets use Buzzwordy in this example. 

The Location: a small and stuffy room in the customer's office 
The Parties: Buzzwordy and the nagging customer
The Topic: price reduction request


"Buzzwordy, your company has been charging us an arm and a leg for the last three years on this particular widget.  On behalf of my company, I really feel a sense of injustice.  I sincerely hope that you and I can resolve this discriminatory price practice today!" complained the nagging customer.

"Thank you so much for bringing this matter to my attention Mr. Customer.  This is the reason why I am here today.  My mission is to make sure that your concern can be remedied and we'll continue to do great business together." smiled Buzzwordy.

"Listen Buzzwordy, my request is pretty darn straight forward.  What I want from you is to get a retro price discount of 30% or should I say a refund for the last 2 years of widgets purchased from your company.  Moreover, I want you to give us a 20% quarter-to-quarter discount for this widget starting next month.  I strongly feel compelled for you to honor such a reasonable request to my company.  By complying with this request, I believe our company and yours can continue to do great business together." demanded the nagging customer.

"I must say that you have put a lot of thoughts into your request and this is very commendable.  Since we have already given you the most favored nation pricing from the beginning, I must consult my executive team as well as my finance department to get a read before responding to you.  Just to ensure that your request is being handled with top priority, I'll inform them immediately.  This will just take a few minutes and thank you so much for your patience." smiled Buzzwordy.

"OK, I'm waiting!" responded the nagging customer.

After a few minutes, Buzzwordy was ready to update the nagging customer.

"Mr. Customer, thanks for waiting.  I just got a reply from my C-team and they deeply value our relationship.  On this note, we're prepared to address your future demand by giving you a 10% annual discount starting next month, however, our company policy prohibits us from giving any of our customers a retro discount or refund because this will impact our standard accounting practice.  Please understand our limitations!" smiled Buzzwordy.

"Just hold it right here.  This is ridiculous and I cannot accept your offer.  No way!" screamed the nagging customer.

"I fully understand how you feel at this moment and am prepared to spend my quality time with you for as long as you need me for.  Lets not give up and we should continue to try to work this request out together." smiled Buzzwordy.

The nagging customer was unhappy but he knew that Buzzwordy was trying to help him find the best solution.  He realized that his refund request was a pie-in-the-sky one and very rarely would he ever get his vendors to grant him this wish.  He then focused his energy on negotiating for the best future deal.  Since Buzzwordy had plenty of time on his hands, he was using this weapon as his leverage to rein in Mr. Customer.  Guess what?  After a long and tiresome negotiation, Mr. Customer did agree to accept a 5% quarter-to-quarter discount with the commitment from Buzzwordy's management to re-visit the widget price at the end of the 12-month period.


So hats off to Buzzwordy for using his poker face tactic and time as his best friend to rein in Mr. Customer.

Buzzwordy

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Note from Buzzwordy

If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.

http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com/

Questions

If you are interested in contributing to Cranium Booster-Buzzwordy, please send an email to gwu@buzzwordy.com.



Privacy Policy for http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com

The privacy of our visitors to http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com is important to us.

At http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

Log Files

As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.

Cookies and Web Beacons

We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.

We also use third party advertisements on http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

You can choose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.


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