Trending on Sunday - July 10, 2011

1. 2 Killer Negotiation Tips From "Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps"
2. Celebrity Baby Boom: Stars Who Are Expecting
3. extreme makeover home edition
4. pineapple express - Importer: Kronic was sabotaged
5. Miracle of the Day - Healed of Emphysema
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2 Killer Negotiation Tips From Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps

In one scene of the movie, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, big time capitalists, Bretton James and Louis Zabel, are negotiating a stock bailout for Zabel’s firm, Keller Zabel Investments. In doing so, they reveal two powerful negotiating techniques that can help you secure the best deal.

James offers Zabel a measly $2 per share. “Under these conditions”, starts off James, “… [James and co] are prepared to risk $2 a share”.

“2 bucks?”, questions Zabel, breaking out in a nervous laughter shocked by the ridiculously low offer. “You're out of your mind. The stock was trading at 79 a month ago. Our building alone is worth more than 2 bucks a share. My board will never accept this. There is no way I'm going to sell for 2 bucks a share.”

The government representative steps in to back up James, telling Zabel that the government could never justify a high price for his firm and that he has no other option. If he doesn’t sell then he faces bankruptcy.

But Zabel remains unmoved. “I'll take my chances in bankruptcy court before I sell to that barracuda” angrily responds Zabel.

A blanket of silence falls over the room. It looks like the deal is off. Neither party is willing to pay the price the other is wanting.
The Defining Moment

Realising that the negotiation has reached stalemate, James decides to do something completely unexpected. While he really wants to buy Zabel’s firm and knows he is getting a great deal, he decides to walk away.

“Then we have nothing more to talk about” says James as he gets up out of his chair and turns to walk away.

But just as James reaches the door, Zabel calls out "6". It’s a counter offer.

“3 and that's it” responds James.

“5”

“3”

“Alright, we'll call it an even 4. So we don't look so god damn pathetic.”

James pauses for a moment, looks at his colleague for confirmation, who nods back at him in agreement, before taking a step forward. “3, and not a dime more,” says James and locks in the deal.

There are two key negotiation techniques used in the scene above.
Negotiation Technique 1: Use Anchoring and Adjustment

James started at $2 and Zabel started at $6. In what is called Anchoring and Adjustment (see Those Clever People at Wikipedia and a little phenomenon called anchoring) initial values, regardless of how extreme, have a strong affect on final values. In this case, James used a $2 anchor, not because he thought he would get it for such a low price but because he knew it would get Zabel to start thinking low values. To counter that effect, Zabel used a $6 counter anchor to get James to start thinking higher values.

If you are selling, start by asking a high price. If you are buying, start with a low price. The technique will subtly but strongly influence the figure the other party has in their mind, therefore allowing you to get the best price.

Despite the effectiveness of the technique, however, many people will not feel comfortable asking for an excessively high or low figure because they don't want to appear unreasonable. That is, they don’t want to risk the Zabellian response, ‘are you out of your mind?’

For those people, negotiation technique two provides for a more comfortable approach.
Negotiation Technique 2: Walk Away

Who wins in a negotiation? The one who is willing to walk away.

Guess what? Be willing to walk away. Even if you are willing to pay the asking price, pretend like you can walk away. This technique is especially useful for people who don’t see themselves as hard line negotiators.

Why? Because you do not have to haggle, you do not have to offer unreasonable figures, and you do not have to have a big mouth to use this technique. All it requires is that you risk not making the purchase on that very day, which, for most purchases worth negotiating for, is worth risking for.

Here’s How You Do It:

Next time you are negotiating with a business supplier, nicely tell the person:

“Thanks for your help but the price you’re offering is beyond my budget” (or whatever reason you want to give).

“But I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll leave you my name and number and if you can do me a better deal, then give me a call and we can take it from there."

Now if that is the best price the salesperson can do then you probably will not get a phone call, in which case you can just go back the next day or so and buy the product. But if they can do you a better deal then they will call you. After all, you have already proved to them that you are not willing to pay their asking price.

What is more, 9 times out of 10 you will not even have to come back. If the salesperson is able to do a better deal, they will usually offer it to you on the spot. It will probably be along the lines of, “alright let me try asking my manager again and see if we can do you a better deal”.

Having been on both sides of the negotiation table (as a salesperson and as a buyer), I have seen this technique work over and over for all deals great and small. It is not only one of the most powerful negotiation techniques, but also one of the easiest and comfortable to use, which makes it all the more useful in securing yourself the best deal.

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Celebrity Baby Boom: Stars Who Are Expecting

Pregnancy can certainly seem forever when you're awaiting the arrival of your brand new baby, but in Hollywood, it seems like these buns are in the oven for far longer than the average person. Maybe it's because keeping the pregnancy a secret is nearly impossible in Hollywood, or maybe it's just us, but doesn't is seem like some of these ladies (Hudson and Beckham included) have been pregnant for an eternity. The Beckham and Hudson have finally popped, and have days of diapers and pacifiers ahead, so who is next?

Let's celebrate the arrival of Hollywood's newest offspring and take a look at some other ladies who are patiently waiting for the stork to bring their brand new little boy or girl.

So, which of these ladies will be the next to have a headline welcoming their new bundle of joy?

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extreme makeover home edition



It’s easy to get drawn into watching a home makeover program. Invest a couple of minutes in getting to know a homeowner and her drab living room, and it’s hard to look away before the big reveal at the end.

And from time to time, while trying to anticipate what improvements the designers will make, it’s easy to glance around your own house and wonder what they’d make of your home’s look.

If you’ve ever wanted your home to be featured on one of these programs, read on. Below is a cheat sheet on what producers are looking for in a home — and, more importantly, a homeowner — when they make their casting decisions.

HGTV

HGTV’s lineup relies heavily on homeowners willing to let cameras into their homes, so it depends on a stream of applications received from viewers. Casting calls on HGTV.com look for people ranging from families needing help getting organized to empty nesters who want to transform their space.
Each program has different instructions on how to apply, but many applicants have been submitting videos to campaign for a makeover, said Kathleen Finch, senior vice president and general manager of HGTV. That’s where they get the first look at your personality, so make it count.

“The first thing you look at is not the home in need of a makeover, but the homeowners. The most important thing is someone who really wants to be on television,” Finch said. “We need the stories to be relatable to many people. We’re looking for people who have the dark, dank basement but really need a family room or the young couple expecting twins as a surprise and need to put on an addition.”

But when applying, it’s important to remember that not all programming has the same ground rules, she said. Budgets range by show, and not all involve a free makeover. Some require input or help from the homeowner, while others require that they give complete control to the designer — or, as in a new show, control is given to HGTV’s online community.

Makeover shows typically receive the most applications, Finch said.

One show doesn’t require any application at all. Those picked to be on “Room Crashers” are simply in the right place at the right time — they’re found shopping for home items in stores, and the host convinces them to bring him back to the house for a makeover.

But even then, fans are being resourceful in their efforts to get picked: “What we keep reading on our Facebook page and Twitter is people trying to figure out where Todd is going to show up next,” she said.
‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’

The application for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will take awhile to complete. It asks for information about your family, house and background. You’re expected to submit photos or videos of your home to make the case on why you — or a family you’re nominating — should be selected.


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Pineapple express - Importer: Kronic was sabotaged



An importer of synthetic cannabis says Kronic was sabotaged and contaminated with the anti-anxiety medicine phenazepam.

Kronic Pineapple Express was one of two brands of legal highs the government banned last week after they were found to contain the prescription medicine, which can be harmful to some people.

Eight retailers and manufacturers of synthetic cannabis met today and agreed to adopt self regulation in a bid to clean up the industry.

But the Government says it will still go ahead with law changes in the next few weeks to restrict the sale and marketing of synthetic cannabis products.

Synthetic cannabis importer Matt Bowden, who attended the industry meeting, told TV ONE's Close Up that they never never guessed that something like this was going to happen.

"Normally when materials come into the country, we do test them. We make sure that we've been shipped the right thing and we look for impurities," he said.

"But one never thought that somebody was actually going to sabotage a product by contaminating it with a restricted medicine."

Asked what he would say to parents still worried about their children using synthetic cannabis products, Bowden said: "We need to make sure that they're not visible outside stores and we need laws in place to stop them being sold to children. But to put things in perspective the products are not as dangerous as, say, alcohol."

He said alcohol results in at about 1000 deaths a year in New Zealand and cigarettes 5000.

"With these products (synthetic cannabis) we're not having fatalities.  As we look at every ingredient coming across the border and scan it specifically for medicines and drugs, I think we can be as confident as possible that it can't happen again."
The eight industry participants said all synthetic cannabis imported into New Zealand will undergo chemical testing before being made available for sale. This will protect public health and resolve any questions about the source of any contamination, they said.

That's a move consumers like.

One man said there are rules and regulations that New Zealanders have to be told what's in their food, so "why not a substance that's being consumed even by people that are under the legal age to use it?"

Bowden pointed out that the products are already covered by the smoke free laws so it is illegal to sell them to minors "and it always has been".

Marijuana 'in most schoolyards'

He said marijuana is available in most schoolyards, and the industry group is trying to restrict synthetic cannabis so it's only available to adults.

"We're saying let's have an understanding between government and industry that when someone wants to take a new psycho-active substance let's put it through the same sort of clinical trials that medicines go through."

New self regulation rules will see synthetic cannabis advertising visible only from the point of sale, there will be no further advertising on any other media and all exterior posters and other advertising will be removed immediately, the industry group said.

"All the larger operations will cease radio advertising, print advertising, will pull signage from outside dairies and from outside all retail outlets," Bowden said.
But he said a ban on synthetic cannabis would drive the industry underground.

"That's what happens right around the world with recreational substances. If you've got a huge consumer demand, if the government just says 'we're going to shut down the legitimate industry tomorrow' as they did with BZP, then these drugs go to the black market.

"You'd just be throwing away consumer guarantees, you're throwing away all that protection you can give consumers."

Those participating in today's meeting were Cosmic, retailers of Juicy Puff; Enjoi; Erox; Herbal Exports; Lightyears Ahead, distributors of Kronic; London Underground; Platinum; and Stargate.

Chris Fowlie of The Hemp Store has dealt in legal highs for more than a decade.

At his store they do not advertise, or sell to people under 18, rules he says the industry needs if it wants to avoid being wasted by new regulations.

"Just take heed of the concerns of the community that we're seeing there otherwise we are no different to alcohol sellers and other drug dealers," Fowlie told ONE News.

Fowlie decided before today's industry meeting to have his imported products screened by ESR.

"You've got to know the consequences of what you are doing. And if you don't know the ingredients in the packet then that's pretty difficult. As I say, I think the responsibility is on our side to behave ethically," he said.

'Poacher turned game-keeper'

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said the synthetic cannabis industry's "poacher turned game-keeper" offer today to suddenly self-regulate is welcome, but the Government will go ahead with law changes in the next few weeks to restrict the sale and marketing of their products.

"When any group that has for years done absolutely nothing to help keep the users of its products safe suddenly wants to self-regulate, then you know one of two things has happened - it has either developed a conscience, or it can see a drastic impact on its cash flow," Dunne said.

"Call me cynical, but I am suspecting the latter here," Dunne said, saying amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Acts will go before Parliament in the next few weeks.

"I certainly welcome their suggestions today, but I think the Government - and the public - will naturally receive them with caution of the Tui billboard variety.

"These people do not have a track record of responsible dealings. It is a shoddy industry that does not test its own products and clearly has not cared what is in them as long as they make a lot of money."

Dunne said: "My message to the industry is: yes, impose self-regulation, but the Government will also regulate you.

"And yes, test your products - but you should have been doing that all along, and in the longer term that is what this Government intends to make you do anyway.

"You will have to prove that your products are safe. We are going to back the Law Commission recommendation on that.

"The days of fast bucks, damaging young people's health and no responsibility are at an end."

Dunne told ONE News today the industry can expect severe restrictions on where the synthetic cannabis products can be marketed and distributed.

There also could be regulations on what kind of premises they can be sold at. And in the long term the government would be standing over manufacturers to stand by the promise that all of the products are safe.

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Miracle of the Day - Healed of Emphysema

"The doctor diagnoised me in 1991 with Emphysema, I had pneumonia continually,The Lord gave me a Word , That He was The Lord Thy God That Health Thee He said I was healed by His Stripes. He sent His Word and His Word Healed Me. The doctors gave me two yrs. to live, at that time I was 49 yrs. old and today I will be 63 in March. I praise God for His Healing Power. I trust Him for EVERYTHING. lord"


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