Tag archive: memorial-day
Memorial Day Weekend and Negotiation
Memorial Day is observed on Monday, and most businesses (although not retail since there is a tradition of holiday sales) in the United States are on holiday. Most people will have a long holiday weekend, marking the unofficial start of summer. How does this relate to negotiation?
Chance to rest
Negotiators do best when they are well rested. A long holiday weekend is a good chance to relax and recharge.
Chance to remember
Memorial Day is, after all, a day to remember those who have sacrificed for the country. In towns and cities across the United States memorial commemorations and parades will be held in order to honor the U.S. military. It is a good time to think about goals and priorities, and about what is important.
Chance to plan
Although summer does not start officially until June 21, it is a great time to start planning for summer and for the third and fourth quarters of the year. Perhaps it is a chance to find new inspiration and new goals. Perhaps it is a chance to start a “swipe file.” Christopher Penn explains on his blog, "Awaken your Superhero," how creating a swipe file is a great way to charge up your creativity and inspiration. You collect materials, such as a great negotiation case study, an inspiring quote, a useful website, in a file (which can be electronic) to look back on and get some great ideas.
Karrass wishes our Negotiation Space readers and friends an enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend! We won’t be posting on Monday in honor of the holiday, but we will back next Wednesday.
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Using email in business negotiations
Most business people start the day by opening up their email program to check and respond to emails. In fact, some statistics suggest that 80% of all Americans use email. Email is used to exchange information, set up meetings, ask questions and in some cases, conduct business negotiations.
A recent article in Reuters.com suggests that using email for business negotiations is not a good idea. There are various reasons, including:
- Email can live forever, especially if it is archived/saved
- Email can be easily forged
- Unless you are using a secure email server, hackers could access your email.
- The BCC feature can allow an email sent to you to be blind-copied to someone else without your knowledge
The article says the following:
At times, it may seem wise to conduct negotiations over email, but it's not necessarily the best idea in the world given the fact that emails are easily forged. You should always conduct your negotiations and discuss contracts in person and take handwritten notes. At the end of the session, you should memorialize what you have discussed and decided upon, having both parties sign the document. It's much easier to prove handwritten documents are false, and it's also much easier to keep statements from coming back and biting you.
We are not advocating giving up email and relying on handwritten documents. However, we do advocate using email and the internet wisely:
- Do not exchange sensitive information over email.
- Print any emails that you have used leading up to a business negotiation and keep in the file
- Never rely on email to reach an agreement other that setting up a time/place to meet
- Verify any information you have received over email with an in-person exchange
- Always remember email is not truly private and act accordingly
What are your tips for email usage? Please share in the comments.