The Red Velvet Lawyer

Web Tools  That Make  the Negotiation Easier After graduating from law school and joining the largest law firm in Oklahoma, I bought my first new car.  It was a Toyota Camry.  Beforehand, I thoroughly read and applied the advice found in a book on buying a new car.   Today, the web puts you a few clicks away from very good advice on the subject.  This morning, I found this site offered by CNN Money on Tips for Buying a New Car .  It offered advice on a number of topics: Buying the right car Determining your car budget Buy ing a new or used car Should you buy or lease a new vehicle Shopping for car loans and credit Setting your target car price Negotiating   a car deal Closing the deal on a new car More vehicle negotiation options The page on setting your target price was especially helpful. It cited sources of objective criteria that  equalize the negotiating power of the parties.  First, it gives you...

Reason for My Preference for Used SUVs? Last week, as I pondered where this series was headed, I asked my Dad to describe all the cars he had owned in his life.  The three things that his description made clear was this.  First, the cars were often used. Second, they were always very utilitarian. They hauled people and things.  Third, my parents drove them into the ground before they bought something new (or newer). So, here's my Dad's narrative. Photos show model and style, but not necessarily the color of his cars.  The Single Guy's Car Okay, before I was married, I had a [used] 1938 Chevy that I had overhauled professionally then salvaged replacement fenders and a steering gear from the local junkyard and installed them myself.  I paid good money for a sun visor that mounted above the window on the outside.  Of course, the fenders did not match the body so I used a brush and exterior paint to paint the whole damn thing brush-streaked b...

The Beloved Bug Which brings me to the mindset limitations I've had to face about cars.   My parents started married life driving a new VW bug.  It may have been one of the first imports to the U.S., which seem to have started in about 1956, two years after my birth.  It was beige with a beige interior.    I drove it as a teenager.  The battery sat on the back floor on the driver's side. Eventually, the floor rusted out. One day, as I was driving the bug to high school, the battery fell out on the street. Undaunted, my Dad cut a piece of shelving board long and wide enough to cover the hole in the floor, and I continued to drive the car until I left for college.   I earned a reputation for two things while driving that car.  I learned to back up long distances. (Perhaps this is one reason I find the rear-collision inducing design of the cross-over styling so irksome. It makes me a less proficient back-up driver!)   And, being eve...

You Betcha!   Not so Much. On the morning of July 4th, I headed to the Tri-Cities Mazda dealership. Shelly Fair, "Sales Consultant," saw me in the lot, walked out of the building, and greeted me with a warm smile and handshake.  She established rapport quickly, but gently, asking about my interests and needs.  Which car did I find attractive? Why?  What needs was I trying to meet? Interest and Needs Most cars today are well-built, well-designed, high-functioning pieces of technology. Even the more poorly rated vehicles would be just fine to own and drive. So, choosing a car requires focus on the attributes and features that, frankly, fall in what I'd call "lifestyle choices." Surprisingly, I was looking to downsize from a 6-cylinder to a 4-cylinder engine.   Recently, I got my fifth speeding ticket. After I was no longer "madder than a wet hen," it occurred to me that I had gotten every darn one of them since I bought the zi...

Bargaining Between  Sophisticated Negotiators I've decided to replace my 2005 Nissan Murano with a newer model, used car.  I applied all the rules of interest-based and distributive bargaining that I teach in my course.  I plan to blog about the experience over the next several days.  Background: People hate shopping for cars.  We are not a "haggle" culture.  It's the reason that Saturn's "no-dicker-sticker" proved to be such a popular selling technique.   Studies show that U.S. buyers tolerate about 3 or 4 rounds of bargaining.  In contrast, people living in haggling cultures will engage in 10 to 15 rounds of bargaining.  Guess who typically gets the better deal? Because we lack experience in bargaining for small things like food and clothing, bargaining for an expensive car brings great anxiety to most people in the U.S. But, I teach negotiation.  In fact, I am one of the very few law professors in the U...

Make a List. Do it Twice. In my last post , I described the first steps in finding clients for your products or services.  Today, I promised to talk about the sources of clients.  Christine Kane, in her business coaching programs , suggests we consider three sources of clients: People you know; People other people know; and People "who gather." People You Know Selling yourself to people you know if by far the easiest place to start.  After all, if you have lived and acted appropriately, these people love you, respect you, and care about your success.  Quite simply: "People buy from people they know, like, and trust," says Christine.   These folks, however, need information about what you offer, how you work, and whom you want to serve before they can refer ideal clients to you, including themselves.  Make a List So, list one hundred people that you know.  Yes, sit down with two blank pieces of paper and put o...

Strategies,  Not Hope! So back to the 3-day conference held by Christine Kane for clients in her UpLevel Your Business, Gold Mastermind, and Platinum Coaching programs --- The last element of the first day of coaching covered "How to Get Clients."  ASL graduates and other lawyers:  Pay Attention! So, what are the mistakes we make? Your only strategy is HOPE. You drank the social media Kool-Aid.   You think on-line marketing means never having to deal with actual people. "Hey, if I'm good, clients will just find me. The one-and-done approach. So, what shifts can you make to improve your ability to attract ideal clients? Think clearly and develop a marketing strategy. Then, implement the marketing strategy authentically and consistently. Build your business or practice by working one-on-one with clients, serve them very well, and then use them as referral sources. Use social media as one vehicle while you set up an easier a...