This week I had the opportunity of interviewing a professional in the entertainment industry, Becky Howard. She is an agent and manager working with numerous actors and recording artists. With 15 years under her belt, she’s managed to move up from being an intern at a recording studio. Due to confidentiality and legal contracts, the names of her clients can’t be divulged, unfortunately. I spoke with her this week about how she deals with negative emotions that come up while negotiating. Unfortunately for this blog post, this successful woman is a busy woman and was called away after only a few questions and casual conversation.
How do you deal with negative emotions whilst negotiating?
“Well, I start by getting to know the other person. I really try to find out whom they are outside of work because that will tell me more about how they react and why. When it comes to emotions, I don’t necessarily show them up, but I do explain to the other person how I feel so that they also understand where I’m coming from.”
How long would you say it typically takes for you to get a good gist of the person and how they may react to certain things that are said?
“I’m a big people person. I take about 5 to 10 minutes just to talk to the person before we actually get into the negotiation. If it takes more than 10 minutes, fine, but I usually take the time to remind the other person that we are in a comfortable setting so that they feel more at ease.
What do you do when you suddenly strike a nerve in the person that you didn’t foresee happening?
“I just continue to listen to what they have to say and find out why they feel that way. If you allow them to vent out, and are able not to take things personally, you get to see what’s really making them feel that way. Maybe it’s an outside thing that leaking in to your negotiation that is completely irrelevant. Whatever it is, you just steer it back in the direction that’s suited for the negotiation and try to stay away from that nerve. If that nerve is related, I suggest you pick out the core words and figure out what they’re truly unhappy with. That allows you to focus on the problem.”
I hope even this short Q&A ahs proven insightful for those of you out there that are planning on entering, or already are in, a position that requires frequent negotiation. Hopefully I get that chance to talk to her again when she’s less busy! I’ll make sure to update it here to fill you in if I do. Thank you for reading!
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