I had the opportunity to interview an upcoming director and
engineer, named BeatsMaster. With more than 5 years of experience in the
entertainment industry, BeatsMaster is no rookie to the game. His background in
music includes playing the bass guitar, the piano, the drums, the saxophone,
making beats, studio engineering, and singing. All his musical skills have
equipped him to pursue a career in directing and producing music. As a result,
he recently opened his own production company and I interviewed him about his
negotiation process in sealing the deal to open and operate his business. The
three different negotiation techniques we discussed were Interests v.
Positions, Separating the People from the Problem, and Mutual Benefit.
Negotiation
Technique: Keeping an Eye on the Prize: Interests v. Positions
During the interview, I asked BeatsMaster about his
negotiation techniques. According to BeatsMaster, negotiations have a lot to do
with securing successful business deals in the entertainment industry. He
stated that sometimes, music artists or producers go into a business meeting
without being thoroughly prepared to make an effective deal. He said that that
is the downfall for many unsuccessful negotiations. In response, I asked him
how would he suggest that someone prepare for a negotiation. In response,
BeatsMaster stated that the key is to think like the opponent; doing so forces
him to think about his opponent’s position on where he/she stands in the
negotiation process and it also helps him to have a better understanding of the
opponent’s interests. In addition, he stated that being prepared in that way
keeps him focused on really understanding what is being negotiated. I stated
that he is absolutely correct and that he is focusing on his opponent’s
interests. In negotiations, in order to solve the problems, both parties should
focus on their opponent’s interests and not their positions.
Negotiation
Technique: Re-focusing: Separating the People from the Problem
I continued the interview by asking BeatsMaster how he would
deal with difficult opponents and how he would separate the people from the
problem. In response, BeatsMaster stated, as stated above, that he tries to
remain focused on the problem at all times. When negotiating the deal for his
new company, he stated that he started to become frustrated when his opponent
started to become difficult during the negotiation process. As a result, the
negotiation took a halt and did not go anywhere. When BeatsMaster realized that
his frustration prevented him from making effective decisions, he remembered to
go back to focusing on the problem at hand. In that way, he removed his
attitude, along with his opponent’s attitude from the equation, and proceeded
to focus on the problem instead.
Negotiation
Technique: Win-Win Deal: Mutual Benefit
I concluded the interview by asking BeatsMaster how he ended up reaching a final agreement and obtaining ownership of his own production company. In response, BeatsMaster stated that he and his opponent ultimately had to focus on their interests and decide on a deal that would work out for all parties involved. Furthermore, I asked whether a mutual benefit was reached. He stated that he honestly did not feel like he got the best out of the negotiation in the final agreement. BeatsMaster felt as if he had no choice but to settle on some issues. He stated that although he was trying to reach a mutual benefit, his opponent was not so willing to either agree or negotiate on certain issues. But on a positive note, BeatsMaster left the negotiation knowing that the deal was good enough for him to still start and operate his own company and run a successful it nonetheless. As a lesson learned, BeatsMaster stated that being unable to gain a better benefit deal in his favor impacted the way he would conduct business negotiations in the future. He stated that he will always try to make sure that both parties leave the negotiation with mutual benefits they are both content with – he added that such contentment paves the foundation for future business dealings with each other.
I concluded the interview by asking BeatsMaster how he ended up reaching a final agreement and obtaining ownership of his own production company. In response, BeatsMaster stated that he and his opponent ultimately had to focus on their interests and decide on a deal that would work out for all parties involved. Furthermore, I asked whether a mutual benefit was reached. He stated that he honestly did not feel like he got the best out of the negotiation in the final agreement. BeatsMaster felt as if he had no choice but to settle on some issues. He stated that although he was trying to reach a mutual benefit, his opponent was not so willing to either agree or negotiate on certain issues. But on a positive note, BeatsMaster left the negotiation knowing that the deal was good enough for him to still start and operate his own company and run a successful it nonetheless. As a lesson learned, BeatsMaster stated that being unable to gain a better benefit deal in his favor impacted the way he would conduct business negotiations in the future. He stated that he will always try to make sure that both parties leave the negotiation with mutual benefits they are both content with – he added that such contentment paves the foundation for future business dealings with each other.
