Margie Dana

"As a long-ago TV character would say, "I pity the fool" that does not take advantage of your upcoming Print Buyers Conference. What a dynamite agenda! Best wishes for a successful conference."

Mike Reilly, Beechmont Press, Louisville, KY

Negotiating Skills for Print Buyers

At our upcoming 2nd Annual Print Buyers Conference, we're honored to welcome back Robert McClements of Print Yorkshire in the UK. Robert's session is on a critical business skill for buyers: "Mastering the Art of Print Buying Negotiations," and is described thus: "There's buying what you need - then there's negotiating for what you really want. Seasoned pro Robert McClements will give you the insider's secrets on how to gain more value for your money. Through a unique combination of technical know-how and behavioral methods, you'll learn how to maximize your buying power and manage supplier behavior. Expect brainy insights and hands-on exercises."

Robert McClements

I asked Robert to answer a few questions in anticipation of his session.

MD: Robert, your session at conference is shaping up to be one of the most popular, based on current registrations. Do you have an international fan club - or do print buyers really want professional guidance about negotiating?

RM: My modesty prevents me from claiming international fans - although I am world famous in Rothwell, the village where I live! The answer is that negotiating is a universal pastime — often done by instinct alone — where small improvements in margin can make an enormous difference to bottom-line performance. Most people have never been offered a structured approach and they soak it up like blotting paper.

MD: You have been teaching university courses on negotiation for a while - is this correct?

RM: I've been a practitioner for over 20 years and a teacher for 10 years. It's a popular add-on to the Bradford School of Management MBA Program, and we have been working with a range of print companies and even the BBC.

MD: I'm wondering if negotiating with print manufacturers has its particular issues - or is negotiating the same regardless of the parties involved?

RM: The behavioral aspects of negotiating are constant. I’ve seen this around the world from Europe to the Middle East in spite of spurious attempts to hide behind so-called cultural differences. With print manufacturers, you need a clear understanding of the technical issues like specifications, file types, etc., but the negotiation strategy will be the same.

MD: It seems to me that successful negotiators require a solid understanding of the other side's position. Will your session address this?

RM: You are absolutely correct. But it's not always possible to know for sure the other side’s position. We will be doing some short practical exercises that do address this issue — so delegates should come to the session expecting to do some work!

MD: Without giving away the entire session, Robert, can you share with me a few key "take aways" that attendees will gain from your presentation?

I hope the key they take away will be a framework for negotiation designed to reduce your personal discomfort and improve your performance at the same time. I will reveal some of the mysteries and a vocabulary you can use to share a strategy with colleagues. Understanding the phases of negotiation and how to plan will give an insight as to what is really going on in a negotiation.

P.S. These methods work well in the world of business, but I make no claims for application in the home with spouse or children!!!

Thanks, Robert! If you want to learn how to sharpen your own negotiating skills, attend this conference session. It takes place on Wednesday, November 7th, from 10:30 am till 12 noon. Register at www.printbuyersinternational.com.

©2007 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues: please do! However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

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Guest Article

Long-time Tips subscriber Tom Boyd of Yoder & Armstrong wrote an article from a CSR's perspective after reading last week's Tip, called "Expect to Err." Check it out at www.bostonprintbuyers.com/articles.

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FREE Webinar, "Let's Talk Paper" - produced by PaperSpecs

October 16th, 2 pm EST/11 am PST

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Register at www.paperspecs.com/webinar/101.htm.

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