Bargaining Advantage (4.10)

The First Foundation: Your Bargaining Style

第一步：你的谈判风格

You must bake with the flour you have.
你必须充分利用你的优势。
Danish Folk Saying
丹麦民间谚语

Two men entered a conference room in an office tower high above Lexington Avenue in New York City. It was a cold, wintry day in January. They greeted each other cordially but with noticeable restraint. Taking seats on opposite sides of a large conference table, they settled down to begin discussions over the possible merger of their two giant companies. On one side of the table sat Peter Jovanovich, the proud chief executive of an esteemed American publishing house called Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ), which was now teetering on the edge of financial ruin. As the son of one of the firm’s founders, Jovanovich was deeply committed to preserving his family’s legacy. Across the table sat Dick Smith, the aggressive, entrepreneurial leader of General Cinema, a large, well-funded conglomerate probing for a corporate foothold in the publishing business. Flanking the two men and waiting expectantly were assorted legal and financial advisers. Both sides had carefully prepared their “scripts” for the opening of the negotiation. Smith was to be the suitor.

纽约市列克星敦一座高楼的办公楼里，两位男子进入了会议厅。那是寒冷而多风的一月。二人虽热忱地向彼此打招呼，却也显得极为拘束。双方在一个巨大的会议桌的两边相对而坐，开始商谈合并二者所在公司合并的可能性。在谈判桌一旁坐着的是彼得.万诺维奇，HB乔万诺维奇出版社这个享誉美国出版社的董事长。该出版社的经济状况出现了问题。作为该公司第二代接班人，他立志保护家族的遗产。而谈判桌的另一边坐着的是迪克.史密斯，通用电影公司野心勃勃、极富创业者精神的领导。这个财大气粗的龙头企业，正在寻找一家可以合作的公司，作为进入出版行业的切入点。在二者旁边，是为谈判出谋划策各种各样的法律和财务顾问。双方都精心准备了谈判开场白的“台词”。史密斯扮演的角色是申请人。

After months of analysis, he had concluded that HBJ was a perfect fit for General Cinema. But he was not sure that Jovanovich shared his vision of the opportunities that lay ahead. Smith planned a detailed presentation on General Cinema’s financial strength and reputation. He would indicate that he sympathized with HBJ’s woes and was willing to offer hope. But he would be cautious, not wanting to raise expectations about his price. Jovanovich’s team, also very positive about the deal, had prepared Jovanovich for the role of “listener.” They had determined that General Cinema offered HBJ its best chance of corporate survival, but they, too, advised caution: Jovanovich’s attitude would be interested but noncommittal. He would not tip his hand or show his urgency. On cue, Smith began his opening speech, but within seconds Jovanovich interrupted—and the HBJ advisers stirred. This was not in the script. What was Peter up to? As Jovanovich spoke, he took a small box from his coat pocket and placed it on the table between him and Smith. Jovanovich opened the box to reveal an engraved HBJ watch. He pushed it over to Smith. “My father always gave a watch like this to his partners at the beginning of a new business relationship,” said Jovanovich. “This is meant to signify my sincere belief that General Cinema is the right buyer for HBJ.” It was a risky admission, and both men knew it. The anxiety in the room eased. The two men, joined by their teams, began to talk in earnest about how a deal might be done. They kept talking into the night.

在对HBJ认真分析了几个月后，史密斯下定结论，HBJ对环球影院来说，是进入出版行业的极佳选项。然而，对于乔万诺维奇是否愿意抛出合作的橄榄枝，他不是很确定。史密斯精心准备了一个有关通用电影公司财务实力和公司名声的介绍，并暗示对方，其对HBJ的遭遇感同身受，并且愿意伸出援救之手。于此同时，他也得注意，不让对方抬高对自己出价的预期。而乔万诺维奇的团队，也对这个交易极为上心，将乔万诺维奇的角色定位在了“聆听者”上。他们相信，通用电影将会给HBJ带来最大的存活希望，但是，他们同样提醒乔万诺维奇要注意一点：他的态度，要表现出感兴趣，但是又不能给对方太确定的感觉。他不能够在谈判桌上敲手指或者是表现出任何的迫切感。谈判开始。史密斯开始了他的开场演讲，但是没多久，乔万诺维奇就打断了他--- 而HBJ的顾问们则慌了，因为这不在剧本范围内。彼得到底想干嘛？乔万诺维奇边说边从他大衣的口袋中拿出一个小盒子，将其放在了桌子的中间。乔万诺维奇打开盒子，里面装着一只印有HBJ字样的手表，随后将这个手表推向了史密斯。“每当建立新的合作关系，我的父亲会将一只印有HBJ标志的手表送给新的合作伙伴。”乔万诺维奇说道：“这只手表意味着，我相信通用电影公司，对HBJ而言，将是一个正确的买家。”这是一个极为冒险的承诺，二者对此心知肚明。随后谈判厅里的紧张气息缓和了。史密斯和乔万诺维奇以及他们的团队，开始认真探讨合作的形式，直到深夜。