Shortly after learning about business, we learn the concept of negotiation. Then we learn that there is an "art" to negotiation. Then we learn that negotiation is a skill that one has to make a concerted effort to master.
Relative to negotiation is the notion of the "win-win," a tactic in which the negotiation results in mutual benefits for each party in the negotiation.
While the win-win may appear to be a judicious gesture, and a favorable alternative to the methods of negotiations that I cut my teeth on in the music business (where negotiations tend to be terribly one-sided), it is outdated.
In a world that now revolves around joint ventures, collaborations, entrepreneurs, and independent contractors, the win-win needs to be updated - and upgraded - to "win-win-win." Who is the third win for? The very party that drives the aformentioned parties to come together in the first place: the customer or client.
The win-win-win is not a tactic; it's a mentality.
The win-win-win takes the customer/client into consideration during the negotiation process, ensuring that the party whose purchasing power (i.e., financing ability) is given top consideration, and priority, in the food chain.
As much as I resist citing Apple and Google as companies who exemplify business models that others should emulate (as they are not the only ones, just the most popular), I have to use them in this context as well. They all have strategic alliances and partners, and they all solve the problems, and fulfill the needs of their customers with this win-win-win mentality.
But you don't have to be a conglomerate to practice the win-win-win; you just need a genuine desire to provide a service or product that offers true value and benefits to those you serve.
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