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Purchases, Negotiations and You

By Pam Baker

In the IT world these days, creativity frequently caves to pragmatism. To survive and profit from the converging and merging evolution of IT advancements, in-house proprietary and legacy systems have largely succumbed to out-of-the-box and off-the-shelf solutions. This situation is increasingly forcing IT pros out from behind their computer screens and over to the bargaining table.

Does that mean the process must be combative in an attempt to achieve the desired results? Not if you really want to get what you need. 

"Negotiation is not a game of war, or tic-tac-toe, or one-upmanship," says Anthony Bosco, vice president and CIO of Day & Zimmermann, a Philadelphia, Pa.-based business services company. "You don't need to strong-arm the guys across the table. They do not have the power to make the decision anyway. Instead, arm them with information -- ammo really -- so they can take it back to their bosses and get what you actually need."

Build a Team
Many top CIOs believe that the negotiation process is about forming a team all around the table. According to Scott Griffin, vice president and CIO of Boeing Information Technology in Seattle, Wash., "A good strategic partner wins as much in the deal as you do, and you both are happy." (article continues)

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