Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
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Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#2A little OT from the actual content, but I have to say, this is an excellent example of web storytelling format, much more illuminating than the usual journalistic method of "here's some selective quotes, if you want more, here's a dump of emails for you to read in Acrobat Reader." And just as importantly, it's simple to implement: blockquotes, image tags, and subheads
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#3This was fascinating. Perhaps what's most interesting is how real Jobs seems. I mean, these emails read like some of the ones that I've sent in negotiations. With all the hoopla around him, it's easy to forget sometimes that Jobs was just a normal guy.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#4Murdoch made a mistake sending Jobs that first clarifying email. HC shows a lack of any coherent direction having one junior person send a response, and then a senior person follow up with more exposition. The moment Murdoch does this, the dynamic is flipped, and HC is chasing after Apple.
Jobs's strategy is to jump all over this and make the argument clear: here's what we're offering, here's why it's good for you, here's why we can't budge, and it's out of my hands.
Murdoch comes back and says, well, how about some concessions. Jobs says no, sorry, no concessions. Do you want this deal or not?
But he already knows how Murdoch's going to answer. Once Murdoch started chasing, all Jobs had to do was keep backing up until the both of them were right where Apple wanted them.
Great negotiation case study here from Quartz.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#5It is really well presented here as "Jobs moving in for the kill", but in a way, Apple's terms really didn't seem to be about "killing" but more about taking in the situation and finding a realistic set of numbers that were actually tenable in the long run.
Jobs and Apple didn't have Murdoch backed into a corner here. Reality (and eventually Amazon) did. Jobs was just leading him to realize that.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#6A little OT from the actual content, but I have to say, this is an excellent example of web storytelling format, much more illuminating than the usual journalistic method of "here's some selective quotes, if you want more, here's a dump of emails for you to read in Acrobat Reader." And just as importantly, it's simple to implement: blockquotes, image tags, and subheads
Agree. Although I think the titles are prejudicial "Jobs goes in for the kill" in terms of telling someone the conclusion they should be drawing like the Elton John song Candle in the Wind "all the press had to say is that Marilyn was found in the nude". The paragraph commentary of course is a version of this as well (color) but I don't see it as bad since there are more words there.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#7My two big takeaways from this are:
1. Amazon sells every Kindle ebook at a loss of $3 -- they pay $13 wholesale and sell it for $9.99. I thought this was a typo, but then Jobs repeated the figure (though he said $12.50). It was my impression that Amazon also sells the Kindle itself at near-cost, so does that mean that Amazon's entire ebook business has been running at a loss the whole time?
2. Jobs certainly did win this negotiation, but ultimately they were both wrong. As Jobs says, "Heck, Amazon is selling these books at $9.99, and who knows, maybe they are right and we will fail even at $12.99." Amazon's share of the ebook market in the US is 65%, with Barnes and Noble (who also charge $9.99 for most books) another 25%. iBooks has the remaining 10%, nothing like the success of iTunes in the music market.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#8This was fascinating. Perhaps what's most interesting is how real Jobs seems. I mean, these emails read like some of the ones that I've sent in negotiations. With all the hoopla around him, it's easy to forget sometimes that Jobs was just a normal guy.
Good and bad, there was very little that was normal about Steve Jobs.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#9This was fascinating. Perhaps what's most interesting is how real Jobs seems. I mean, these emails read like some of the ones that I've sent in negotiations. With all the hoopla around him, it's easy to forget sometimes that Jobs was just a normal guy.
Jobs most certainly sent the emails but we don't know who else was involved in drafting, wording, the tone, or strategy.
Re: Steve Jobs emails that show how to win a negotiation
#10To be fair, Apple didn't have much to lose if the deal didn't go through. So I can see why the "take it or leave it" strategy works in this case.
It would be interesting to see how Jobs negotiated in a case where the other party had the upper hand.