Episode Transcript

What’s up? What’s up? What’s up, everybody? Welcome back to THE a.m guys, welcome back to five minute rants. I’m your host, Michael Abernathy. Welcome to the show predicated on the journey of life and business. Hey guys real quick. If you know somebody whose life would be changed by sharing the show with them, would you do that with me in partner changing lives? I appreciate it.

Well, today I actually wanted to talk about negotiations with people. And it’s interesting, because pretty much every interaction with a person is really a negotiation with them. And the reason for that is, is because we have all our own thoughts, our own agendas, our own ideas, and opinions. And even though we may be unified and headed towards a unified goal, it doesn’t always mean that we are actually all 100% focused on that exact same thing. In other words, What I mean by that is, we have the exact same thoughts about it, we have the exact same emotions about it, we have the exact same thing, feelings about it.

And I’m saying all this, specifically, because in business, we often lose track of the fact that, yes, people may be interested in the service or the product, or whatever it is we’re offering, they may be interested, they may be like minded, they may be even using some of the same words that I’m using, you know, when we’re doing sales or negotiations or things like that. But if I fail to see that they are different individuals than me, I’m also going to fail the negotiation, because at that point, I’m unwilling to actually go over to their side of the conversation, I’m unwilling to see What they’re seeing, I’m unwilling to look at What they’re looking at. I’m unwilling to see from their viewpoint of What is occurring and What is happening, because they’re all individual people that have radically different life than I am.

And it’s so interesting how oftentimes, we’ll get caught in the same assumption that everybody just thinks like me, everybody feels like me talks like me, everybody acts like me wants the same things I want, desires, the same things that I desire. And I have actually assumed this a lot, and a lot of close relationships, a lot of far relationships. And it’s so interesting, because that actually hurt me a lot, because I was unwilling to come out of my selfishness to actually step out of my shoes and into their shoes to really try and understand more from their side.

And if you’re in sales, actually stopping to listen, discover and understand What the other party actually wants it to hear them, it is so vital for that, in sales, it’s vital for that business, you’re not actually going to have a customer base, with actually, without actually doing this and stepping outside of yourself, to serve people on the other side. And to serve people the way they’re looking to be served. It’s so interesting, when you go to a place, when you go to a restaurant, when you go to a car lot, when you go to any sort of establishment, you already have a preconceived idea of how you want to be served. And one of two things has to happen, you either have to have the company educate you with how they’re going to serve you. Or you’re going to meet the expectations that you have, because they’re doing something similar that you’ve experienced before, or they’re going to fail in that because they’re not doing something that you have experienced before.

And I think it’s so important to educate in that experience, but also to understand What that person is expecting. And then you can have an open honest conversation, see if you’re, if you don’t believe in coming from your side to theirs and leaving your side of the table walking over to their side. And to understand them if you don’t do that. And if that actions really not there, then you’re going to fail long term as a business owner and as a leader.

This is so important. Like with the team, I constantly thinking like Andrew is vastly different person than I am. He is I mean, he is hyper intelligent, okay, but our relationship wouldn’t work if I did not actually start letting go of my side and then walking to his side of the table, and then being like, okay, man, how do you see things? How do things actually work for you? How do you process and think and then our relationship got better, we got better as partners, we got better as friends, right? It’s the same thing with the team. It’s doing the same thing. Let me stop to discover to understand What they want, What they need.

And so I’m saying all this because in life, you’re constantly negotiating, navigating relationships and business, it’s all about relationships and being able to serve your customer, the way that is actually providing value for them and What they need their real issues needs and goals. And it’s serving predicated on that.

And if you’re not able to get out of your seat and sit in their chairs, or get out of your shoes and go look at from their shoes, you’re not ever going to actually properly be able to serve in serving is providing real outcomes that provide value predicated on What the other person needs. And so anyways, Something to think about like to let go of being me and being selfishly, like, inward looking during negotiations and discussions and stepping out of my shoes again to theirs. Anyways guys, I’m way over, so I’ll catch you later. Peace