The Chance Encounter

Jay gave a glance at his watch and saw that he had fifteen more minutes before heading back for Laura. He went into the Beach Shack Lounge and ordered a beverage. As it arrived, he noticed someone sliding onto the bar stool next to him, but he clearly was in no mood to chat.

“Where ya from?” he heard the guy ask.

“Cleveland.”

“Darn nice city. I enjoy going there, though not necessarily during the winter.”

Okay, Jay thought. That comment was positive enough to deserve the same question back. “What about you?”

“Well, I am sort of from everywhere these days, but I still consider San Angelo, Texas, home,” the stranger said with the strong accent natives of that state are known for.

Jay looked down at the guy’s shoes and his expectations were fulfilled. “Well, the cowboy boots are a dead giveaway. I should have known.”

“I’ve got to ask you. Here we are on this cruise, and you look like your prize bull just died. What’s got you down? Are you with that XL group running all over the boat?”

“Yeah, I am. Been with them about a dozen years,” Jay said with absolutely zero emotion.

The stranger said, “Isn’t this supposed to be a reward trip? You should be in a celebratory mood, man.”

Jay told the Texan that he should have seen him an hour ago. “I was on cloud nine. I had my best sales year ever, with total confidence that it will be more of the same this year. Nearly all of my customers stayed with us, and I also managed to add enough new ones to have the highest percentage revenue above quota of anyone in the company. I won this trip for my wife and me, and thought I was a cinch for salesperson of the year.” Jay was not certain why he was confiding in this stranger, but he went on. “I was in line for a big promotion as well. Now I hear from my best friend in the company that all of that was stolen from me by the woman who is our rep in St. Louis.” The stranger nodded and admitted that this was a tough tale indeed.

“I’ve got to tell ya,” the Texan shared with a note of concern. “I’ve really seen the game change out there for all my clients. It’s shifted from all business is good business, to a real focus on profitability; we’re in a totally new paradigm.”

Jay’s ears perked up and he chimed right in, “That paradigm thing is apparently what got me. She beat me out on profit contribution. Imagine that? We have always done whatever it took to keep business. You know; all that ‘the customer is always right’ stuff?”

Jay’s newfound friend continued, “That mind-set is a lot like the Alamo, man; it is history, and most people think it went a lot better than it really did.”

“To add insult to injury, it seems this person who is getting my award and my promotion has talked our president into locking us up with some negotiations expert for most of the next two days. Can you believe that? This clown is supposed to treat my ‘negotiaphobia.’ The guy is a doctor, so I guess he has come up with his own disease to treat. He has probably never sold one dime’s worth of information management systems in his life, and he is going to tell us how to do it. Unbelievable! I end up in paradise, but I have to come home and explain to my friends and neighbors why I did not get one shade of tan.”

With that, Jay took a quick glance at his watch and realized Laura would be tapping her toe as she waited for him in the hallway. She was always prompt, and he always got tied up in situations just like this one. Like his father, he never really encountered a stranger, only new friends. “Look, thanks for listening to me go on and on about my sudden disappointments. I am usually a better conversationalist than this. I am Jay Baxter. What is your name, my new friend from San Angelo?”

Both now standing, he told Jay, “My name is Pat, Patrick Perkins. Some of my students call me Dr. Pat; others have labeled me the One Minute Negotiator. They call me that because many of the ideas I give them only take a minute to do and really reduce their stress level after treating their ‘negotiaphobia.’ As I recall, you think I am a, what was it … a clown? I’ll see you first thing in the morning, Jay Baxter. By the way, Jay, you are never in the game too long to learn new skills. There are really no old dogs as long as they keep learning the new tricks.”

CHAPTER 1 ONE MINUTE INSIGHTS

1. Negotiaphobia is a widespread and frequently unrecognized affliction that negatively impacts people in their personal and professional lives.

2. Today’s business world is more challenging than ever before, but with good negotiation skills, positive results can be achieved.

3. Increasingly, business development professionals are being held accountable not only for revenue but for bottom-line profitability as well.

4. Until they chisel the second date on one’s tomb-stone, it is never too late to learn, as we treat our negotiaphobia.