There is nothing more exciting than receiving a job offer for an opportunity you really want. It can be tempting to say an enthusiastic “YES!” and sign the paperwork without asking questions. But, before you do, it’s important to read the fine print and make sure you’re receiving proper compensation and benefits.

Negotiations occur in many different settings. We negotiate with family members, friends, and business associates. Negotiations happen so frequently that we often don't even realize when they occur.  Negotiations occur because people value things differently. 

People are not born with negotiation skills. They must be learned. We engage in many informal negotiations every day; however, in a business setting, more formal negotiations occur. In fact, negotiation is the norm for high value transactions.

People disagree; it's simply human nature. But learning how to settle disagreements does not come naturally to everyone. 

There are multiple avenues available to people who are seeking to settle a dispute or conflict. According to the American Bar Association, there are 22 different methods of dispute resolution commonly in use. The ABA's number may seem higher than what many other authorities cite because it includes several legal methods and strategies that would typically be grouped together under the single heading of "Sue the Bastards!"

Most of us have heard this statistic: women earn about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, known as the raw gender wage gap. When the wage gap is adjusted to account for occupation, hours worked, experience, and more, we still see an adjusted wage gap of about 93 to 95 cents per dollar. So why does the wage gap persist, even when all factors are equal?

Negotiation is a frequent suspect, since most studies suggest that women negotiate less often than men. Even more concerning, women who do negotiate are usually less successful than men. So are men simply better negotiators than women? This doesn’t appear to be the case.

There’s more to negotiation than just haggling over price. Successful negotiations can help you solve problems, preserve relationships, and avoid future conflicts. Our latest Skye Learning video explains how negotiation can make a big difference for your business.