Intro

It is difficult to maintain a neutral face when you already see everything in a person you are negotiating with. Why? Because the level of intricacy that you catch with your eyes and logic is just out of this world, and when they think they control the discussion and the meeting table it becomes an ultimate joke for you. You all know from the very beginning that my only true power was negotiating. Today in this small but very important article, I’m going to cover real-world cases that happened with me and the outcome that I chose when I was in such cases.

Reverse Interview

We, the treasury negotiators, not only talk and negotiate terms with partners, banks, and others. We also negotiate our future position with the future employer and we also negotiate our salary. I just want to make sure for everyone: no matter how international and big-name a company is, if they don’t pay you enough, you just go out of the game. Okay, now I am in Dushanbe City. What a beautiful city and morning I had. The day before, I reached out to a Puerto Rico contact person that I knew and said I needed a position, an international position. So basically, I received a response that there were no positions he could offer outside, but he knew one Tajik bank that might be interested in me. So I said why not, at least that’s something. I headed toward the building where the interviewer was waiting for me, a so-called director of international relations within a bank. I am not going to reveal the name since I respect anonymity, but if they are reading this, they know very well they messed up with me badly.

The very moment I entered the room I saw him looking at the screen of his computer. This is a red flag and all negotiators must remember: for such an important meeting where you negotiate terms and conditions with someone who has been negotiating his whole life, you must be careful and give your full attention. But no, the man was busy with the content on the screen. Finally, he looked at me and said, “You can begin talking.” So I started introducing myself, and I was briefly cut mid-sentence. So I wondered why I was cut mid-sentence, and I listened to him. He started saying that I was lying about myself and my achievements and in general about who I am. On top of this, he also started talking about himself and how many diplomas he had, like he was not interviewing me but rather I was the one there to interview him. On top of all of that, at the very end, he said that all the dedication I had with many inputs into work in other banks was simply the idea of “one random guy,” thus accusing me of stealing the idea. The moment he did all of that and said all of these things, I understood that I had become a victim of a “reverse interview” phenomenon, where you come to listen to how big they are, just to end up receiving a rejection. I said, “enough,” and I left the room. If you notice something similar when discussing your future position, never stay silent, just walk away.

Big Bank Guy False Feeling

Another thing you will definitely encounter as a traditional treasury negotiator is that banks that rank higher than your institution (warning: the bank is higher in rank when it has a better reputation and excellent results), particularly their staff in the same position as you, may raise their voice at you. Human nature is very fragile, and as a negotiator you will definitely see through such moments. It was morning and I had just arrived at the bank, sitting in my chair and minding my own business. Golden times, truly golden times. And then somehow I needed to call a very big bank, literally. So I called a guy who ranks higher than me and works at a very big bank.

I called by cellular phone. Thirty seconds into the call, he said, “Can you talk to me normally? Can you change your voice? You are calling a very big bank.” Now, what you will notice is that it is not the fault of the bank being a big bank, it is the fragile ego the people within them sometimes have. You will notice they have a “big bank guy” false feeling, and when you speak with them in your normal tone, they dislike it, because they were used to a “lick my shoes”-type of voice, where you speak mildly just because they are someone at the moment. If you encounter this, never ever admit or confirm their words. Stay within your own voice and remember that ignoring them or not trying to cater to them will not even affect the relationship, because it is only one person who disliked you on the phone. No one will ever break a banking relationship just because you refused to use a “lick my shoes”-type of voice when talking. Never admit anything, deny everything.