Negotiating with clients…and toddlers

One of the aspects of small business that many people don’t like is negotiating money. However, I’ve gotten a new perspective on negotiating—and it’s all thanks to my toddler. When you’re a mom of a toddler, you find yourself constantly negotiating. In the Target toy aisle: “If you put that toy down and jump in the cart, we’ll go get a pretzel.” In the grocery checkout line: “If you stop crying, we’ll watch the LEGO Movie when we get home.” I used to think this was bribery, however I realized it’s just negotiating: “If you do (or not do) this, than we can do this (which is obviously much better!) The same can be applied in client negotiations. Cost tends to be where most negotiations take place. Taking it from the above perspective, what can you do (or not do) to come to an agreement? In the case of a design project, I may suggest reducing the amount of initial research or number of concepts that are presented to reduce the cost. In both motherhood and business, negotiation all boils down to this: coming to an agreement where both parties are happy and can enjoy the rest of their shopping trip…err, day.