Peter Bubel+ by | Dec 5, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel
Negotiations can be found in many different aspects of daily life. In the home, wives and husbands negotiate the housework, and moms and dads attempt to convince their toddlers to take one more bite. Negotiation is also found in daily business. However, it’s outcome significantly outweighs results like having to take out the trash and vacuum.
Most negotiation strategies sound a lot like common sense, although it is surprising how often the steps of the strategy are forgotten once emotion enters the picture. This is not to say that emotion should be left out and ignored during negotiation. On the contrary, good negotiators identify and influence emotions, rather than denying or ignoring them.
Mental Barriers
The traditional negotiation style takes on an opposing-parties model: Supplier V.S. Client. The newer negotiation model takes on a business partners approach where openness and sincerity replace the self-centeredness of the traditional model. The modern model allows for negotiators to see how there could be an advantage for themselves while also working towards benefits for the other side.
The tactic used to display openness and sincerity? Simple: share more information. This allows the other party to feel confident in your motive and enables them to be open and self-assured. On the other hand, mistrust breeds mistrust, and if you begin a negotiation by asserting that you are solely concerned about your own needs, the other party will quickly adjust to negotiating without considering your wants. Be open, honest, and forthcoming by asking questions and making demands of yourself and your partner. Show a sincere interest in maximizing benefits for both parties, and the negotiation is far more likely to go your way.
Practice Being Selective
Being selective is a useful skill in many different aspects, and the benefits can be numerous. The first way to practice being selective is with your communication. While negotiating, spend more time listening than you do speaking, and listen for moments when you can selectively repeat words back to your counterpart. This is one of the best ways to establish rapport. Repeat what was said with an upward inflection to slow the conversation down, allow more time for you to think, and encourage your counterpart to share more.
Another great way to practice being selective is with tactical empathy. This is one of those areas where the use of emotional intelligence can give you a leg-up on the competition. Practicing tactical empathy allows you to demonstrate to your counterpart that you see the frustrations of their emotions. Use phrases like, “It sounds like you are concerned with..” and “It seems like you are upset about…” to proactively label their fears or problems. This can go along way in disarming them and allowing for a successful negotiation.
BATNA (Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement)
In any negotiation process, your ability and willingness to walk away and take another deal is your best source of power. Significantly increase your negotiating skills by spending time prior to the negotiation identifying the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, and take steps to improve it.
Present Multiple Offers (MESOs)
Rather than sending one offer at a time, save time and send multiple offers at once. This decreases the chances of a stalemate, and promote more creative solutions, as well as reflects readiness and professionalism. Even if all proposals are rejected, you could ask for feedback on what could be fixed and which was the most well-liked. Then work on modifying the offer in a way that pleases your counterpart, while also meeting your needs. This is an excellent strategy for gaining control of the offering process.
Peter Bubel+ by | Nov 24, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel
Will your business be more successful if your employees do the bare minimum or go the extra mile? If you’re considering investing in a startup, would the presence – or absence – of engaged and motivated employees impact your decision? If you’re in charge of an organization, is volunteer or employee retention a constant problem?
A quick look at a few statistics illustrates the importance of leadership.
- Only 16% of employees feel connected and engaged.
- Replacing an employee costs 33% of his/her salary.
- 90% of employees are leaving for a new job or hunting for a new job either actively or passively.
- 42% of the most valuable employees, those earning more than $75,000, plan to quit within 6 months.
There’s an enormous difference between being a boss and being a leader. There are bosses everywhere, but far fewer genuine leaders. If you’re the person in charge, it’s your decision as to whether you’re a leader or a boss.
- Motivation: A leader inspires and coaches others. A boss pushes uncommitted employees.
- Vision: A leader is inspirational and communicates his vision (remember Steve Jobs). A boss wants workers to be afraid, more like the godfather.
- Damage Control: A leader works to minimize the damage and understand the cause so it won’t happen again. A boss blames subordinates.
- Experience: A leader demonstrates how to do something. A boss simply knows how it should be done.
- Listening: A leader listens to divergent opinions before making a decision. A boss listens to no one.
- Teamwork: A leader is at the helm of a team and has a “we” mentality. A boss thinks of “me.”
- Authority: A leader fosters mutual trust and accountability. A boss depends solely on his/her own authority.
- Acknowledgment: A leader acknowledges team member’s accomplishments. A boss takes all the credit.
- Mentoring: A leader helps others expand their skills. A boss uses others.
- Leadership: It’s “Let’s go” for a leader, but only “Go” for a boss.
“Leading” rather than “bossing” means you’ll be challenged instead of having blind obedience. If someone else has a better idea, you’ll put aside your ego and go with it. The final decision is always yours, but when you’re a leader rather than a boss, you have the support of your team. Everyone benefits. It’s your choice.
Peter Bubel+ by | Nov 16, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel, Reading
Every community has a unique connection to its people. Some towns rise up because of a local business supporting the workers, such as the aerospace industry. Other locations have rivers and tourist attractions that draw people in. Regardless of your community’s characteristics, being a local means that you should participate at the ground level. Getting involved in your community is simple with these basic tips.
Think About Your Passions
Getting involved in your community isn’t attractive unless you have a good reason to do so. Consider your passions before you volunteer for a group or task. If you love music, volunteer with the high school’s marching band. Help out the elderly at a local, nursing home. Volunteer at the library when you’re passionate about knowledge. Use your passion as a guiding force toward a volunteer position that puts the town first.
Give Time, Not Money
When you want to get involved, there may be worries about financial constraints. Being there for your neighbors isn’t a matter of giving out money. For the most part, local philanthropies and nonprofit businesses are lacking volunteers instead of funds. Help out with an event that includes booths at a nearby park. You might have a lot of time on your hands, which only improves the town through your efforts.
Support Local Businesses
Between volunteer activities, bring your shopping needs to the local businesses. Avoid chain stores and restaurants. Support those so-called “mom-and-pop” stores that have unique items for sale. You’re investing in the community when you buy from these businesses. They often have better customer-service skills than chain stores too. The generated revenues allow the businesses to expand and improve the community even more so than before.
Be a Board Member
Once you get involved in your community, you want to see that group or institution flourish. You no longer want to volunteer. Being a board member at the volunteer facility is your goal. Become a volunteer member so that you can improve the group’s functions within the community. Being in charge takes some time out of your schedule, but the results are incredibly satisfying.
Don’t be shy about your talents either. If you can sew, weld or perform other useful tasks, let your community leaders know. Your skills may come in handy during an upcoming project or town improvement. Lending a hand makes you feel good while lifting up your neighbors with regional pride.
Peter Bubel+ by | Nov 11, 2017 | Blog, Peter Bubel
There are typically two camps within conversations about workplace satisfaction: those who work to live, and those who live to work. The people who work to live are often disengaged from actual jobs and focused on life outside of the office. Conversely, those who live to work are fulfilled within their jobs due to a combination of relatively predictable factors. The older school of thought is the former: people don’t need to be happy to perform at work because it’s just a job. However, the newer school of thought that happiness coincides with productivity is quickly taking over the stage.
Happy People Work Better
Thirty percent of the United States workforce is engaged at work, which means seventy percent of individuals are merely working for a paycheck. Without a sense of fulfillment, employees lack connection to the work, to colleagues, and to superiors. Shockingly, these rates stay consistent over time and regardless of economic climate.
Science Matters
Science corroborates that there are physical connections between feeling, thought, and action. Emotions like frustration, anger, and stress affect the brain chemically and cause other parts of the brain that dictate cerebral thinking to shut down. Similarly, being “too” happy can have the same effect. Content satisfaction is a happy medium that appears to be essential for fulfilled employees to function at their fullest capacity.
Three Keys to Happiness at Work
Vision, purpose, and relationships are the major keys to fulfillment in the workplace. Being able to fathom how you’ll fit into a company in ten years and being satisfied with that goal is essential to today’s motivation. If you have nothing to work toward… why should you work? Purpose means being tied to an organization’s mission. Finding some sort of gratification in the company’s big-picture societal role is essential. Finally, relationships between coworkers and superiors determine the quality of a person’s work experience. Trust between employees means a team mentality and the ability to get more work done happily. Considering that happy people work better, the cycle needs to perpetuate in a positive manner.
The people you work with matter. Being able to cultivate a sense of happiness, fulfillment, and trust at work means the opportunity for the most productivity possible. Efficiency comes with contented joy. Accepting the link between emotion and drive in the workplace will make it easier for employers to cultivate the most effective workplaces possible.
Peter Bubel+ by | Oct 26, 2017 | Peter Bubel
Personal blogging has taken off tremendously in the last five to ten years. People are finding all sorts of reasons to blog and to let their individual voices, writing styles, and areas of expertise be heard. As a platform for self-expression, blogging can empower people to fulfill a whole host of objectives.
Self-Expression
People are blogging simply to let their voices be heard. Whether they enjoy discussing political happenings, current events, pop culture, music, cooking, or anything else under the sun, blogging provides an opportunity to put opinions and feedback into the world. Not only might authors be validated by positive feedback from like-minded individuals, but presented with opportunities to be challenged by people with different perspectives. The exchange and dialogue can serve as a stimulating alternative to other, less involved leisure activities.
Inspiration
Some bloggers are writing to inspire others to support a particular cause. Do you have a lot to say about October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month because you know someone who fought against it and won? A blog is the perfect place to share that story with the world. You never know who might read your message and be touched to their core.
Expertise
Sharing a particular wealth of experience or knowledge by blogging provides a venue for people to solicit advice. By sharing your gifts with the rest of the world, everyone benefits. If your blog ends up being wildly popular, there may even be a chance to monetize a service or product so that people can buy from you directly.
Marketing
Blogging is a perfect way to advertise a new business. Building writing into your routine as an entrepreneur gives people a taste of your personal voice and allows them to more intimately connect with your brand, which increases sales potential. Exposure to different audiences is everything.
Other Benefits
Improving writing style, networking with other professionals, and building an individual portfolio are all potential benefits to the blogging game. By picking a topic that you are personally invested in, you afford yourself the luxury of being able to discuss something with the public that you feel passionately about. As you write more, your style will develop and people will begin to notice you. Other advocates for your activity, cause, or business will begin to reach out and connect with you.
Truly, blogging offers a host of benefits. From self-expression to inspiration to expertise to marketing and then some, your blog is sure to afford you opportunities that you barely even fathomed.
Peter Bubel+ by | Oct 2, 2017 | Blog, Pennsylvania, Peter Bubel, Property, Property Management
Artificial intelligence has risen from science fiction to become the buzzword of the decade. It seems to be disrupting every industry. For property managers, artificial intelligence can be a boon for those who know how to harness it. Ignoring it’s potential guarantees a bust.
As the number of renters continues to skyrocket, investment in the market follows suit. Artificial Intelligence offers property managers an invaluable edge in this dynamic marketplace. New apps utilizing AI, such as ZenPlace and Appfolio, leverage the technology to identify inefficiencies and minimize unexpected expenses. With AI, keeping track of maintenance and renewals is as easy as setting an alarm on your phone.
The future potential of artificial intelligence is even greater. While the industry remains rooted to a foundation of human relationships, most basic functions can become automated. Imagine the savings, of money and energy, if most of your customer service could be completed by a chat robot. Or, if all of your regular maintenance activities scheduled themselves?
When you get down into the details, it seems that every function of property management could be improved through the use of artificial intelligence. But, what exactly is it? This is hard to pin down and still up for debate. However, at it’s most basic, artificial intelligence is just a computer that takes in some information about the environment and tries to make the best decision possible. This broad definition translates into some powerful applications toward almost any task.
The same technology that Facebook and Google are creating headlines with can bring property managers to the forefront of their industries, too. It doesn’t take much technical skill either. There are plenty of companies competing to give property managers the power of artificial intelligence. These include the same companies that have been serving the industry for years, like Yardi, MRI, and RealPage. Taking advantage of the power of AI has never been easier.
It seems clear from how industry leaders are investing in the technology, artificial intelligence is here to stay. Ignoring this technology is ignoring a powerful tool to streamline business and increase profit margins. As this technology spreads it even becomes cheaper. There are applications for property managers with several units to those with thousands. Opportunities abound in every sector.
This is a defining moment for property managers. Those who adapt and innovate with artificial intelligence are at the precipice of a boon. The potential for profit is overwhelming.
