In the entertainment business world of today, there are a lot of business negotiations that take place. Often time’s negotiations turn out to be the worst ever. However, a business professional has several tactics that separates them from becoming bad business negotiators. I conducted a phone interview with Mr. Calvin O. Atchison II, of Quantum to Virtual Multimedia Group in Nashville, Tennessee. I posed several questions to him regarding how he handles negotiations within the multimedia entertainment. I used a question/ answer format to conduct the interview with Mr. Atchison.
Question: During previous negotiations within your company, how did you separate the people from the problem associated within a negotiation.
Answer from Mr. Atchison: During negotiations, I focus on dealing with the problem first, because the problem is the most important. If you don’t deal with the problem, how can you ever deal with the person? People are easiest to deal with, while the problems are the hardest to deal with. Consider dealing with the problem first and the person thereafter. There is always a way to deal with a problem, but there is not always a way to deal with the people.
Question: While conducting a negotiation, how do you deal with another negotiator who tries to use dirty tactics?
Answer from Mr. Atchison: I’m 41 years old and I’ve had my share of dirty tactics thrown my way. However, I have learned how to walk away from negotiations that are dirty tactic bound. When I was about 23 years old a record company offered my rap group a record deal, but they wanted to take creative control over my group and offered us limited royalties and no rights to our music. I had a brief talk with my group, and we decided not to take the deal because the company was using dirty tactics to swing the negotiation in their favor. We as a group tried to negotiate the deal, but the company basically threw monkey wrenches every time. We decided to look into the offers of other record companies and walked away from that particular negotiation all together.
Question: Do you think of mutual benefits of both parties during a negotiation?
Answer from Mr. Atchison: I feel that a mutual agreement is always the best route during a negotiation. There has to be a mutual agreement that appeals to both parties, so that the interest of both parties will be for filled. Learn about the company by doing research, and see exactly what you can bring to the table as an individual.
Question: How do you deal with negative emotions during a negotiation?
Answer from Mr. Atchison: I often play into the emotions of other’s if it’s positive emotion. I don’t look to far into negative emotions, I just smile and hope that person knows that my emotions don’t control me; I control my emotions in negotiations.
Question: What role do you play in your business negotiations?
Answer from Mr. Atchison: Very often I play the role of the person who is trying to work the negotiation out for the best of my company without compromising integrity of the other negotiator. People have ways of playing their role in a negotiation, they often times just don’t know the role to play. For example, an artist of today in the music business tends to be more educated about the music business because they have been schooled on the roles they should and shouldn’t play as an artist. On the other hand, back in the days when I was trying to pursue a recording contract, I didn’t have secondary sources to aid in helping to establish my role-play as a rapper. In today’s world people have been educated on how to play their roles so often times their roles don’t get played.
Question: How would you use what is called a BATNA in a negotiation?
Answer from Mr. Atchison: Just simply have a back up plan within the negotiation just in case one offer is denied, you’ll have a plan B offer to negotiate with. Know what you are dealing with before the negotiation and always consider the best interest of both parties at hand. As long as you have a back up plan, you are considered to have another shot at the deal within the negotiation that fits your best interest. Always position yourself with leverage. Consider using one of my all time favorite quotes,” Let me take sometime to think about it.” That always opens a door on the other end of the deal that won’t often close.
http://www.negotiations.com/articles/best-alternative/
