Talk, don’t email: Difference between revisions

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{{A|negotiation|}}
{{A|negotiation|}}If process efficiency is your goal — if, like me, you’ve recently discovered the [[Toyota Production System]] and can’t stop thinking about it, if you are all about eliminating [[waste]] and {{wasteprov|waiting}} time, consider the difference between '''emailing''' the guy in [[credit]] with your question, and waiting 24 hours for him to pick it up, think about it, and send you an elliptical reply (as likely as not kicking off a [[circle of escalation]]) — it never quite answers the question you had first time, does it? — or [[calling]] the guy up and asking him there and then?
If process efficiency is your goal — if, like me, you’ve recently discovered the [[Toyota Production System]] and can’t stop thinking about it, if you are all about eliminating [[waste]] and {{wasteprov|waiting}} time, consider the difference between '''emailing''' the guy in [[credit]] with your question, and waiting 24 hours for him to pick it up, think about it, and send you an elliptical reply (as likely as not kicking off a [[circle of escalation]]) — it never quite answers the question you had first time, does it? — or [[calling]] the guy up and asking him there and then?


In the first case there is so much {{wasteprov|waiting}}: the time it takes to compose that [[email]], setting out the issue clearly, the pros and cons and the desired outcome. Then the {{wasteprov|waiting}}. The wondering. The nervousness. The stress. The heart flutters, as you neurotically pick petals off the daisy. Has he read it? Will he soon? Does he even ''care''? Should I maybe send a follow-up [[email]]<ref>It will never occur to a negotiator to call.</ref>? Will I seem needy?  
In the first case there is so much {{wasteprov|waiting}}: the time it takes to compose that [[email]], setting out the issue clearly, the pros and cons and the desired outcome. Then the {{wasteprov|waiting}}. The wondering. The nervousness. The stress. The heart flutters, as you neurotically pick petals off the daisy. Has he read it? Will he soon? Does he even ''care''? Should I maybe send a follow-up [[email]]? Will I seem ''needy''?  


If you just call him, you get the warmth of human contact right off the bat, you get to lay out the issue directly without all that formatting and colour coding, and if you really need to you can (and okay, probably should) send him an [[email]] ''afterwards'' memorialising what you discussed — this can be shorter, since you don’t need to lay out all the explanatory detail, and no need for colour-coding — and also you are not waiting on anything from this email: you have the [[oral]] decision, you can go — the credit dude can confirm in due course.
(It will ''never'' occur to a [[negotiator]] to call. This may be because systematic juniorisation of the [[negotiation]] function means the negotiators do not have the experience and expertise to talk fluently on their subject matter, and are therefore ''afraid'' to call — and ironically their counterparts, similarly juniorised, will be afraid to pick up.)
 
 
If you just call her, you get the warmth of human contact right off the bat, you get to lay out the issue directly without all that formatting and colour coding, and if you really need to you can (and okay, probably should) send him an [[email]] ''afterwards'' memorialising what you discussed — this can be shorter, since you don’t need to lay out all the explanatory detail, and no need for colour-coding — and also you are not waiting on anything from this email: you have the [[oral]] decision, you can go — the credit dude can confirm in due course.


{{sa}}
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Revision as of 10:55, 1 October 2021

Negotiation Anatomy™

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If process efficiency is your goal — if, like me, you’ve recently discovered the Toyota Production System and can’t stop thinking about it, if you are all about eliminating waste and waiting time, consider the difference between emailing the guy in credit with your question, and waiting 24 hours for him to pick it up, think about it, and send you an elliptical reply (as likely as not kicking off a circle of escalation) — it never quite answers the question you had first time, does it? — or calling the guy up and asking him there and then?

In the first case there is so much waiting: the time it takes to compose that email, setting out the issue clearly, the pros and cons and the desired outcome. Then the waiting. The wondering. The nervousness. The stress. The heart flutters, as you neurotically pick petals off the daisy. Has he read it? Will he soon? Does he even care? Should I maybe send a follow-up email? Will I seem needy?

(It will never occur to a negotiator to call. This may be because systematic juniorisation of the negotiation function means the negotiators do not have the experience and expertise to talk fluently on their subject matter, and are therefore afraid to call — and ironically their counterparts, similarly juniorised, will be afraid to pick up.)


If you just call her, you get the warmth of human contact right off the bat, you get to lay out the issue directly without all that formatting and colour coding, and if you really need to you can (and okay, probably should) send him an email afterwards memorialising what you discussed — this can be shorter, since you don’t need to lay out all the explanatory detail, and no need for colour-coding — and also you are not waiting on anything from this email: you have the oral decision, you can go — the credit dude can confirm in due course.

See also

References