165 How do you negotiate?

Raimon was about to leave the Pixar studio when his cell phone started receiving calls. He decided to leave it on the back seat, starting the car, but it kept ringing for the next five minutes as he hit the road. He could only get frustrated. His large body attempted to reach the back seat, achieving it but not without hearing the honks of a crowd of cars behind him.

-Damn, - he said, starting the car and taking the next right. Luckily, the streets of San Francisco were familiar to him, but the first problem was that he forgot to take the phone.

He soon reached the black fences—the entrance to Lucasfilm. Five days ago, George Lucas came expressly to continue negotiations. The reason? There is no clear reason for the company. But for Raimon, it was a marvel to be part of these negotiations and meet his idols. He was a lucky man.

-Good morning, I'm here for negotiations on behalf of Lux Animation, - Raimon said.

The employee looked him up and down and was somewhat amazed by the visitor's attire. However, Lux Animation doesn't have a dress code and only demands formality in important and special cases, decided by Billy or Anne Hall.

-One moment, I'll confirm the meeting, - said the employee, who proceeded to call a network phone while Raimon observed from the car.

-Please, go to the main building. There you will find the boss's office, - said the security guard.

-Thank you, - said Raimon, who drove through the main gate with great excitement. A great... a great excitement to meet another of his great heroes. But he took a deep breath and continued to the parking lot. The San Francisco sun was high, and he was tired of the heat, having lived his early years in a colder climate with strong winters; the heat was simply annoying.

-Good morning. Mr. Lucas is still busy, - said the receptionist.

-I'll wait, - said Raimon.

-Alright, - said Vicky, seeing the man. Mr. Lucas had a planned meeting.

-Yes, it will take some time. Mr. Lucas is a bit busy. But he will attend to you shortly. Would the gentleman like something to drink? - said Vicky.

-What do you have special? - Raimon asked.

Vicky was surprised. - Well, water, coffee, and Sprite, - said Vicky.

-A Sprite, thank you very much, - said Raimon.

Vicky called over a person with a large drinks cart, a hotel uniform, and a smile with plenty of gestures, pointing to the Sprite.

-Yes, - said Raimon.

He handed him the Sprite and stayed smiling. There were some snacks, and he pointed them out with an invitation. Raimon looked at the signs, pointing to each snack. Raimon chose some sandwiches cut in half and other sweet pastries.

-Can you give me another Sprite? - Raimon said.

The young man smiled and handed him another bottle. Half an hour passed, and Raimon was not being attended to. The secretary kept watching Mr. Lucas's entrance with some discouragement.

-Excuse me, miss, but I have things to do, and Mr. Lucas mentioned he would be free during this period, - Raimon said.

The girl checked the clock. - Mr. Lucas has a pending meeting from 12:30 to 1:30, - Vicky said.

-I see, thanks. I'll wait until 1:30, - Raimon said.

Raimon decided to review everything prepared for the meeting and practice his monologue of short answers. Of course, after asking for his autograph and praising a bit here and there, the special negotiation skills would come. The trick was to guide the conversation where expected. The conditions planned by Anne and Billy were tough, but Raimon had to investigate if the other party was willing.

The cell phone rang. - Raimon, - said a commanding voice behind the phone.

The young man left the reception to take the call. - Anne, a pleasure, - Raimon said on the phone.

-Mr. Lucas just called me about your unavailability at the scheduled meeting, - Anne said.

Raimon's thick eyebrows lifted like bells. He tried to respond, but Anne's insistence and continuous scolding didn't give him time to answer.

-It's unbelievable. You had only one job, a job you willingly accepted and acknowledged being able to handle. I spoke with Mr. Lucas, and he will extend the time until 2:30 to 3:30, but it's a shame you didn't arrive on time. This is one of the major business deals and plans we have for the company. You better be there in less than twenty minutes, - Anne said, hanging up.

Raimon's seriousness was etched on his flushed cheeks, and he looked a bit unwell. After being scolded like that, what would have been different if Raimon hadn't been scolded? Upon entering the reception, his friendly appearance had extinguished a bit.

-Excuse me, but I have to go into a meeting with Mr. Lucas. I've been waiting for an hour and fifteen minutes, so I'll be clear with you, miss. My arrival time was 12:15, and now it's 1:30. Tell Mr. George Lucas that when he feels inclined to respond to the meeting with Lux Animation, he can call me on the phone and arrange a meeting again, - Raimon said.

The small secretary opened her mouth, and her mind flickered in what could be called panic.

Raimon took his briefcase and walked his way to his car, leaving Lucasfilm behind. No one knew what happened that day or the next.

Raimon dialed Anne Hall's phone in response. - Good morning, Anne, - Raimon said.

-Are you already at Lucasfilm? - Anne asked.

-Well, I was there from 12:15 until 1:30, which was my appointment time. They didn't let me in, and I'm not willing to go back, - Raimon said seriously. He hated being taken for a fool, and that's how he felt today.

-What do you mean you're not going back?" Anne Hall said again, sounding hysterical.

-I won't, and I recommend, Anne, Lux Animation won't crawl. It's up to your position, but if you want to negotiate with Lucasfilm, they should take the second step. So, you'd better close the negotiations with Lucasfilm. Negotiating is not like going to the supermarket and buying yogurt. Let me clarify, they'll milk us for money like a dairy cow from Nebraska, -- he felt Anne Hall was about to interrupt, and he cut off his boss. -- Listen carefully. We're not less than Lucasfilm. Openly inquire about the purchase of Stark Trek; let everyone know. We'll make an aggressive purchase for Star Trek or any series of special ships. To hell with decency and honest negotiations, - Raimon said.

-But—

-Anne, George Lucas is coming to the company in a few weeks, himself, - Raimon said.

-But what if he doesn't? Billy has been very clear about this particular deal, - Anne said.

-Leave it to me. If in a month, there's no proposal at our door, I'll go to Lucasfilm myself and negotiate on my knees if necessary. For now, you must understand that we're what they want. We're just an opportunity they want to seize, - Raimon said.

For the first time, Raimon had left Anne Hall speechless.

***********************************************************

For the always meticulous Steve Parks, his task was better than poor Raimon's, who found himself in a predicament. Although it's not known why Raimon reacted that way, it's very likely that if you ask Steve Parks, he'll agree with Raimon's stance and even encourage the other party to apologize.

-Good morning. I have a meeting with the Macmillan Publishers editorial group, - Steve Parks said.

-Yes, of course. Mr. Benson is waiting for you, Mr. Parks. If you'd like, you can go down the hallway to the left, and the Macmillan group will be awaiting negotiations, - the receptionist said.

The lengthy acquisition of Tor Books had just begun.

-Good morning, everyone. I'm Steve Parks, Sales Director at Lux Animation, and it's a pleasure to be before you, gentlemen, - Steve Parks said as an introduction.

-Good morning, Mr. Parks. I'm Jim Benson, manager of the American branch of Macmillan Books. My colleagues are Andrew Rahman, Director of Sales, and Hendrix Klin, part of our operations branch, - Jim Benson said.

-Mr. Rahman, Mr. Klin, - Steve Parks said, shaking hands firmly with both individuals.

Steve Parks called these moments the negotiation siege, orchestrated by a group of people to establish a power dynamic. Steve Parks had worked in sales since he was 11 years old, selling magazines about American football, basketball, soccer, and girls in school as part of his father's business. Nobody knows more demanding kids than those English kids willing to fight for a penny.

In his adolescence, after his father sold the store, he worked selling magazines and later worked selling cotton in a small company at 15, continuing in this job, paying for his education with hard work, effort, and sleepless nights.

-Gentlemen, - Steve Parks began, using the projector for images, which he specifically requested for this sales meeting.

-Here, I have a report on the sales numbers you made in the years 1990, 1991, which were published for your going public, subsequently in 1992, 1993, already seen, -Steve Parks said, showing them the thick sales data.

The data was in a bar chart, the current sales of McMillan Books were not very good, however, they bordered on green revenue in all sales but not as much as the sales managers or the shareholders would like.

-As a comic-rooted company, I've come to propose the best deal of your lives, if it's not the best, shave my mustache, - Steve Parks said, stroking his mustache, earning a smile from Mr. Rahman.

-The best deal, a bit optimistic? - Jim Benson said.

--Well, some might say it's the stocks, but I disagree. From Lux Animation, we want to buy Tor Books, and I know, gentlemen, it doesn't sound very good, -- Steve said, looking at their faces. -- Let McMillan handle its general management through a beneficial alliance, if I understand correctly, you, as a publisher, earn 35% on book profits according to agreements, and possibly 40% for new writers, which is distributed from 10% to 15%. You, as a company, handle promotion, printing, and advertising. Would you like to earn 15% for doing nothing? - Steve Parks said cheerfully.

Steve saw the faces in the boardroom happier than he could have imagined at the start of negotiations.

-How will we earn 15% for doing nothing, young man? - Jim Benson said.

-Pitch to our group that you'll sell to us. We'll pay for the advertising campaigns for our writers and printing. You'll handle the production, distribution, and sale business. The 15% will be given to you as long as you can provide us with your editorial services. We'll use your resources for 15% of our sales with a contract. Of course, this editorial alliance will be for the next five years, - Steve Parks said.

-It's not possible; this business is unheard of. How will you make money? - Jim Benson said.

-Well, that's for us. Our task depends on two things: a strong alliance with McMillan Books and, of course, your assistance in other businesses, - Steve Parks said.

-What businesses? - Jim Benson said.

Steve Parks smiled as if it were Christmas. When a person directs the conversation in negotiations, it's because they can highlight the special point.

-Well, our goals are more allegorical, but we want to create an association of science fiction and fantasy writers, a foundation supported in these two genres. The main purpose is to collect great series and support great writers in this genre to back this particular genre. In our contract, we mention the unique specialty of our company, which will be renamed Lux Books, - Steve Parks said.

-Interesting. -

The next negotiation lasted five hours, with no changes, but the purchase and the call to make money were already a step. Steve Parks walked to the café and took it easy, reflecting on the meeting he had just had.

...

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