Pitching and Negotiation Skills: Competitive Edge in Business

This assignment solution discusses pitching and negotiation skills within a business context, specifically focusing on developing a pitch for innovating organic products within Birchbox. It presents a dialogue between an employer and employee regarding salary increments and introduces the idea of developing organic products, particularly a night cream, to attract more customers and address skin concerns. The report also outlines the value of brand loyalty, key outcomes of introducing an organic range, and strategies for dealing with potential rejection. Furthermore, it details several ways a manager can effectively negotiate with employees, including cooperation, willingness to walk away, trading concessions, expanding the issues, and avoiding greed. The goal is to achieve a competitive advantage for the organization through effective negotiation and innovative product development.

Pitching and
Negotiation Skills

Developing a pitch for achieving a suitable
competitive edge
The pitch is about innovating organic products in Birchbox.
•Employer : Hello, we heard you have some concerns.
•Employee : Thank you but I am not satisfied with the salary increment.
•Employer : Why?
•Employee : I am more skilled and qualified as per the requirement of the role.
•Employer : Yes, we know that and you are doing tremendous job.

• Employee : Also, I am not a fresher. I am well experienced. Before
working here, I had two years experience in this.
• Employer : Yes, we know that but the salary increment goes this way only.
• Employee : As now I am married, so I feel I am more responsible.
• Employer : We are not doubting on your skills. We know you are hard
working.

• Employee : But the problem is that I am not satisfied with the salary
increment. I am doing hard work to achieve all the objectives of the
company, but now somewhere I feel the company does not value it.
• Employer : You are getting the company wrong. It thinks so much for its
employees. The company is looking for future achievements with you.
• Employee : I also want to go for the same but salary matters.

• Employer : Okay, let me discuss this with other authorities and will reply
you soon.
• Employee : I trust you and respect your decision.
• Employer : Have faith on us. We are looking for achieving various
objectives in future with you.
• Employer : We are organising a range of organic products in the company.
• Employee : Oh great! That seems a beneficial option for peole.

• Employer : Do you think this idea can prove beneficial enough for
Borchbox.
• Employee : Yes, infact it will attract much number of people.
• Employer : We are thinking of developing organic night cream for women
dealing with face issues.
• Employee : Oh! That would be a great idea.
• Employer : But we are afraid whether people will accept it or reject the
idea.

• Employee : This innovation can actually prove attractive enough for the
people.
• Employee : Thank you.
• Employer : Have a nice day

• As a manager, various situations like this happens but there are various
ways that can be used to deal with this. Although sometimes there are
variety of questions and issue from the side of the employee but in such
cases, the manager or any authority has to be efficient enough so that the
answer could be able to satisfy the employee as well as their query
(Haddad, 2014). In the conversation, the idea of invovling a new
innovation, that is organic products have also been included.

Value of brand loyalty
• Birchbox is a reputed brand and has gained successfully
enormous satisfied customers, thus loyalty can be expected
from the brand in cas of innovation of organic range as well.
• The idea has also been gathered by collecting feedbacks from
its customers.

Key outcomes
• Birchbox after developing a range of organic products can attract much
number of customers.
• Organic range can act as a beneficial factor for the people who are more
worried about their skin.

Dealing with rejection
• Although the concept is new and attractive, but there are chances if the
range can get rejected by people.
• So, Birchbox has decided to develop initially a night cream, so that they
can think of further innovations after checking the status of the organic
night cream.

Ways of negotiating
• Negotiating the pay is also a part of the conversation between the
employee and the manager. The employees often request for the amount
that they think they are worth of because everyone is aware of their own
capability. But the same time, the company has some limitations on the
basis of which, they try to negotiate with the employees. So, some ways
that can actually a manager for negotiating with the employees are
discussed as under :

• Cooperating with the staff
It acts as a much easier task for the manager to negotiate with the employees if they
keep helping and cooperating with them (Sullivan, 2015). It can be done in many
ways such as the manager or any higher authority can provide the employees some
extra leaves because these means can make the employees happy enough, which
further helps in making the environment and culture of the office happier and
healthier. Also, the staff should cooperate when the authorities will tell them the
idea of invovling an organic range because at such times, the company needs
support from the staff.

• Willing to walk away
Also, a very important fact that the manager should ensure about is to maintain the
fact that it is not necessary to make the deal at any cost. This does not consider
negotiability. Thus, the person should have made their mind about the specific pay
scale so that they can somehow be able to negotiate with the employee (O'Rourke,
2010). If they will show the employee that they can deal at any cost, in that case, it
is obvious that the employee will try to negotiate for more. So, the manager should
be willing to walk away if the deal is not going according to them.

• Trading concessions
Trading concessions also act very important in work places. It means the manager
can ask the employee that if I will do this to you, what you can do for the
company? Although it seems quite weird but is expected in meetings and
conferences (Horton, 2016). One can make use of some concessions in order to
maximize the value of what is being giving to them. Also, trading concession is
considered as an accepted practice in negotiation, so it can be implemented by the
manager to negotiate according to them with the employee.

• Expanding the issues
Usually, it is observed that this can actually maximize the bargaining factors while
making a deal. If while negotiation, it concludes at some single issue, then there are chances
that it might lead to various factors such as emotional stress, thus they are also quite difficult
to resolve (Stephenson, 2013). There must be enormous options and opportunities available
because it increases the power and chance of bargaining. So, it is better for a manager that
they can investigate about different ways that seems quite lesser value for the company but at
the same time are more valuable for some other company. So, the manager can provide the
same to them and exchange with something that is valuable for the own company. The staff
can ensure investigating the important factors that Birchbox needs to ensure while the
implementation of the organic products. It can act helpful for the company.

• Not being greedy
It is efficient for the manager to not get greedy because it can actually spoil the working
relationship between them. Negotiating to a limit is important if seen from the perspective of
company, but getting greedy with them that taking exceeded work from them and does not
offer them some profits is completely wrong (Fatima and Rahwan, 2013). So, the manager
should also think about these factors that if the employee is working hard actually, then they
should be motivated by various means and it is important. This helps in making a healthy and
happier relationship between all the employees of the organisation. So, it can actually further
help the employees to stay happy with the company, thus the manager can easily negotiate
with them.

So, these can be considered as some factors that can actually help the manager
in negotiating with the employer who is not happy with the increments in
the salary. Thus, these factors can be considered efficient enough in
achieving a suitable competitive advantage for the organization.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
• Fatima, S. and Rahwan, I., 2013. Negotiation and bargaining. Multiagent
Systems, 143.
• Haddad, C., 2014. Business promotion: Winning business: Is price
everything?. Building Connection, (Summer 2014), p.40.
• Horton, S., 2016. The Leader's Guide to Negotiation: How to Use Soft Skills to Get
Hard Results. Pearson UK.
• O'Rourke, K., 2010. A pioneering approach to engaging students in
enterprise. Assessment, Teaching & Learning Journal, 8, pp.6-8.
• Stephenson, J., 2013. 25 common characteristics of successful
entrepreneurs. Accessed from: http.
• Sullivan, G. R., 2015. Leadership Development in the Workplace. Leadership and
Women in Statistics, p.259.

THANK YOU