Pat - your posts are always a great read. Keep ‘em coming.
And Happy New Year to all Freepers.
Yup, Pat’s a real TREASURE here for sure!
I love the way she writes, just like she’s talking to you. Never pedantic, just plain folks.
Well thank you Laslo.
So this brings me to narrate yet another lesson I learned early on.
And it is such a simple thing but you’d be surprised the stuff they DON’T teach kids in school.
When negotiating for anything, start at the HIGHEST POINT.
For example, if I determine that the business for which I consult needs some facelifting (heh, and one time I complained about a dead potted plant my consulting bz had at their front door so don’t think it don’t happen).....begin this way.
BTW, that dead potted plant got moved toot de sweet, what the hell were they thinking with a damn dead plant to greet their customers? This is why you need NEW eyeballs, new perspectives. All those employees paid no damn attention to that dead plant.
Anyway....I say to the owner “I think you should build a new wing on your business for the accounting department.”
I then go over the need for more computer stations, a new desk, a small office for a new position coming on.
“OMG I can’t afford a new office,” the business owner says, eyes wide and alarmed.
“Well maybe if we bump out a space over there for the new employee, some new desks, maybe we can get by,” I might say.
The business owner is relieved and says no problem with new office and desks.
Now if I’d started out at the “bottom” so to speak, as in “I’m thinking you should maybe get Sandra a new desk, hers has two broken legs. And could we find somewhere to put the new employee?”
Then the business owner might smile and nod head affirmatively. “Sure. Two new desks, one for Sandra, one for the new employee.”
Heh. By starting at the top I ended up with way more than two new desks. Might not have gotten a new wing but got a new office off of the building and all brand new furniture.
Hey....it ain’t rocket science.
But we live in a world where little snowflakes have safety areas to go when losing an election.
They teach them nothing. Nothing at all.