Launch Local, Inc. Builds Relationships With Negotiations
The director of operations at Launch Local, Inc. discussed how business relationships begin with good first impressions and are built through win/win negotiation strategies.
Girard, OH, August 28, 2015 (Newswire.com) - “In today’s business climate, good enough just isn’t good enough. A company’s team has to constantly seek growth and strive to find better, more creative ways to dazzle target consumers,” shared Linda, Launch Local, Inc.’s director of operations. “Maintaining the status quo is really just standing still, and the world is moving too fast for that.”
With this perspective in mind, Linda and her team set goals for Launch Local, Inc. in a variety of areas. “Most leaders know to set targets for easily measured attributes like sales, revenue, and profit. There are plenty of other places that benefit from goal setting as well, like customer satisfaction, team growth, even number of promotions in a given time frame.”
"It takes a bit more effort and creativity, but metrics can be set in place for just about anything,"
Linda, Director of Operations
According to Linda, many organizational leaders are hesitant to set goals that are not strictly financial, because there is an inherent difficulty in measuring the progress or completion of such objectives. “It takes a bit more effort and creativity, but metrics can be set in place for just about anything,” she explained.
How Launch Local, Inc. Sets a Target for Quality Business Relationships
As an example of her goal-setting technique, Linda shared how she would set a goal for customer relationships. “I could just apply a number to it, but I like to go deeper. What does it mean to satisfy a customer? The answer, in my opinion, is to have developed a win/win business relationship. Win/win is a negotiation tactic, so that’s a big part of how we create solid relationships. Rather than just a generic ‘We need to satisfy more customers,’ I try to get at the root of what customer satisfaction means and then teach those abilities to our associates.”
Continuing on with her example, Linda explained what win/win negotiation looks like. “In any good relationship, there is the idea that it will be a worthy investment in the long term. Both sides will enjoy benefits for an extended period of time. Trust is a key factor as well, both in the sense that one will be honest and also in the sense that one can be counted on to be a good partner in the relationship. In business, that means things like always being professional and knowing what it takes to maintain relevant agreements in a mutually beneficial way.”
When negotiation skills are established as paths to customer satisfaction, Linda looks at specific tactics for the Launch Local, Inc. team to learn. “For example, a successful negotiation will focus on how both parties can achieve their goals, not necessarily on what those goals are. On the surface, goals may look oppositional. Also, a skilled negotiator will never stop looking for ways to add value to a transaction.”
Linda then tied it all together, “If I wanted to set a goal for customer satisfaction, I would intensify the training on negotiation skills. Then I would make action steps the focus. I might make a customer satisfaction checklist that said ‘When interacting with the customer, did you seek a win/win? Did you add value? Did you emphasize how you and the customer could work together and both get what you want?’ If the answer to all those questions is yes, then we’re successfully negotiating a win/win relationship that ensures customer satisfaction. If the answer to any of the questions is no, I can focus on those trouble areas. This is the power of organizational goal setting.”
