The Fine Art of Negotiation
By Carol M. Meerschaert, RD
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 8 No. 6 P. 46

Preparing to negotiate doesn’t mean preparing for battle. So leave your shield at home, arm yourself with some practical knowledge, and you too can master the art of negotiation.

Let us never negotiate out of fear,
but let us never fear to negotiate.
— John F. Kennedy, 1961

In 2001, the major issue under discussion in the American Dietetic Association (ADA) House of Delegates was salary for the dietetics profession. Well, here we are a half-decade later, and how far have we come? The U.S. Department of Labor reported a real wage decline of 0.9% for private industry workers and a decline of 0.3% for state and local government workers during 2005.1 I am sure dietetics professionals are about par with the rest of the country. How can you stop the real salary decline? The answer is negotiation.

We may think of negotiation as a skill to be dusted off when offered a new job or filling out a yearly performance review; however, negotiation works best in small doses. Practice your negotiation skills regularly and they will be ready when it counts.

The Steps to Successful Negotiation
After reading nearly a dozen books on negotiation, the one repeating theme was value. You want people to value what you do and show their appreciation with proper pay. You need to make your value visible. Traditionally, women’s work went unnoticed, and dietetics professionals are 97% women. Child care, housework, and support roles were unnoticed and undervalued.

Are certain responsibilities and services unappreciated in the workplace as well? Are dietetics services simply part of the room rate at your hospital and not charged separately so the value is hidden? Do you take on extra work without asking for more compensation? Do you give free talks to local groups instead of offering to waive your fee? Setting a fee and waiving it is a great way to offer the kindness you want to show for nonprofit groups dear to you and still highlights your value. It is also the first step in the negotiation of an appropriate speaking fee down the road.

If you ever hope to be a successful negotiator, you must learn to say no. Too frequently, dietetics professionals are asked to help out at work, and they accept, even in instances in which they will receive no credit or extra pay and have even less time to do the work already assigned to them. Say no to extra work unless it moves you closer to your goals. Will that extra project help you move into a supervisory role? Highlight your speaking skills? Get you a raise? Allow you to pass along to a less experienced colleague the mundane tasks you have outgrown? It is great to be a team player, but not to the point that you become the water boy.

Most of us negotiate almost every day. We negotiate with ourselves when juggling the “must do” tasks of the day. Some of us negotiate with clients to help them set nutritional priorities while others head departments or are self-employed and negotiate contracts. No matter what the situation, one thing rings true: Ask and you shall receive. If you do not ask for something, you probably won’t get it. Nobody can read your mind, so speak up for what you want. Negotiation is often thought of as a struggle of wills, but it doesn’t need to be that way.

Don’t be afraid that negotiating for what you want will hurt your image. Studies show that employers see those who negotiate in a more favorable light than those who don’t.2

Negotiation need not lead to conflict. Set the tone of negotiation with how you approach it. You can be warm and respectful yet firm about your goals. You can assert yourself and still be likable and personable. You can have a firm objective yet be flexible with your strategy.

If the purpose of the negotiation is to ask for a raise, ask yourself, “How much money am I looking for?” Express this in a percentage and dollar amount. Talk to a recruiter so you have concrete alternatives to your current job and know what is out there. “If you need more money than a job or contract is offering, ask for it,” advises Joanne V. Lichten, PhD, RD. “If they say they can’t go any higher and you really want the job, be open to ask for other things, such as more vacation [time], flexible scheduling, a four-day work week, or paid conferences.” You can ask for payment in kind, such as a link from their Web site to yours, free advertising, free products or services, or use of their mail list. Take Lichten’s advice and “never, never just say, ‘OK, that will be fine.’”

If you are negotiating a contract, think of what you want and consider all your options. “When negotiating with a food company for business as a consultant, share the positive benefits you can bring to the table regarding their product,” suggests Carol Berg-Sloan, MS, RD, a consultant for food companies. “Be sure that they know that consumers want to hear from a credible source about what foods to choose for a healthier lifestyle.” Exploring all the possible options gives you a confident, comfortable state of mind that allows you to think objectively and creatively.

The next step is to put yourself in the shoes of the person who will be sitting across the table from you.3 Why is that person going to negotiate with you? What are his or her constraints and concerns? What will the person do if we don’t reach an agreement? Try role playing with someone who knows you well. Have that person play you while you play your boss or the person with whom you want to negotiate a contract. You will be amazed at what you learn. Most people—especially women—are uncomfortable negotiating, even if they know the basic tactics and have prepared a strategy. Pat Katepoo, RD, a career coach, says, “Practice your opening lines with someone. Rehearse your responses to expected objections. Your outcome is likely to improve with prepared practice.”

Take a long, hard look at yourself. Look inward—and ask a trusted friend or family member to help, if necessary—and think of what sets you off or throws you off kilter. Know what gets under your skin in advance of negotiating. Do you hate being criticized? Do you get impatient with people who are passive? Does it annoy you when you are interrupted? If you know what irritates you, you can prepare yourself to not let these things derail your negotiation efforts.

Do your homework. The more you know going into a negotiation, the better you can come to an agreement. Read everything you can find on the Internet about the company or industry. If your hospital had the worst fiscal year in a decade and the state is three months late with Medicaid payments, this may not be the time to ask for a raise. If the vendor with whom you are negotiating a contract just announced a sales incentive program, this may be in your favor when negotiating price with him or her.

Talk to people who know the person with whom you are going to negotiate, who have dealt with the same person in negotiation, and who know the organization better than you. Get the facts. The ADA salary survey is a great one when negotiating salary in the nutrition field. The federal government publishes reams of data on employment statistics. A publicly traded company’s 10K lists all the financial data for the company—from sales to executive salaries.

Now write out a plan. List all the scenarios that could satisfy your needs. The more scenarios you come up with and the more creative your attempts to demonstrate gain for everyone, not just yourself, the better your opening offer is likely to be.

You have imagined the scene, done your homework, and put yourself in the other’s shoes. You’re prepared to negotiate.

It’s Showtime
As you negotiate, remember to pay attention to your body language. Your words may speak confidence, but if your arms are crossed, your brow furrowed, or your voice shaking, you are sending quite a different message. When you communicate in person, 55% of what people hear is not your words but what you communicate visually: posture, movements, facial expression, and eye contact. Thirty-eight percent of the message people receive is the sound of communication: tone of voice, rate of speech, and volume. Only 7% of your message is derived from the words you use and the way you put them together. Mastering the art of nonverbal communication is an obvious advantage in a negotiation. Try practicing your delivery in front of a mirror to be sure what you want to communicate is the message you are sending with your voice, body, and words.

While many negotiating books suggest letting the other side speak first, I tend to agree with the ones that say go first when possible. Being the first to talk lets you set the tone for the negotiation. Neither side should make an offer until both parties have been heard. Make sure the other side knows that you understand their interests. People aren’t receptive until they know you understand their side of the issue. When listening, resist the urge to defend yourself or disprove what the other person is saying. Acknowledge his or her motivations, feelings, and point of view, even when you don’t agree. Your goal is to understand the message, not judge it.

You have set a nice tone but things start to get tense. What do you do? When faced with strong feelings—such as anger, disappointment, frustration, confusion, or resentment—it is natural to react on reflex. You must mentally remove yourself from the situation and think before you speak. Master negotiator Roger Fisher, in his best-selling book Getting to Yes, suggests thinking of this as standing on a balcony looking down on a party. Of course, in emotional situations, detaching from the conflict is easier said than done. When you are upset, remind yourself that your viewpoint is valid, even if your counterpart doesn’t seem to think so. Take a break if you need to. Ask for a bathroom break. Be on the lookout for those certain things that irritate you and then mentally retreat to the balcony. If the other side gets heated, suggest a break to help him or her, too. Disarm the person with your charm and bring the negotiation back down to a friendly, professional level. Stay focused on your goal of reaching an agreement that satisfies both parties’ interests.

Typically, you want to work with the other party in the future, so keep the goal of preserving the relationship in the back of your mind. Don’t win the battle at the risk of losing the war.

Finally, have fun. If you’re having fun, you are more relaxed, creative, and effective. While negotiation is serious business, it is not life and death. So relax, and remember: You’re armed with specific techniques that should prepare you well for any negotiation.

— Carol M. Meerschaert, RD, is a freelance writer, a corporate consultant, and a lecturer in Falmouth, Me. You can reach her at carol@nutritionresource.com.

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References
1. United States Department of Labor, release USDL: 06-157 Employment cost Index. December 2005.

2. Pinkley RL. Salary and compensation negotiation skills for young professionals. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104(7):1064-1068.

3. Chaffers M. Top Ten Tips for Successful Salary Negotiations. Available at: http://midcareer.monster.com/experts/negotiation

Reading List
ADA. Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession 2005.

Fisher R, Ury W. Getting to Yes. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.

sPinkley RL, Northcraft G. Get Paid What You’re Worth: The Expert Negotiators’ Guide to Salary and Compensation. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.