Win-Win Trading

[scotto313]

Have you ever thought about your trading style? There are really ony two kinds of trading philosophies in this game of Online Baseball. The “I Win – You Lose” and the “I Win – You Win”.

I Win – You Lose

Keep in mind that if one party destroys the other, there is no one left to deal with. The negotiation does not end with one deal. If the other side is crippled by the deal, you have made your first and last deal with them, instead of the first of many in a long-lasting relationship.

Many times victory, not the achievement of goals is the only acceptable outcome. Guerrilla negotiation. The other side is the enemy and they must be defeated. The measure of success in this negotiation style is having a clear winner and a clear loser.

I win – you lose negotiators do not determine the individual circumstances, needs, or particular interests of the other party. One thing these people rarely do, is listen to the other person.

The only way that I win – you lose negotiators can continue to make deals is through the hit and run philosophy. Many people in this game like to make fair deals with their friends but, choose the hit and run with those that they do not know well. Most leagues have some kind of turnover. That is how this type of negotiator can work. They leave a trail of victims hoping that their victim will leave and “fresh meat” will show up in his place.

In I win – you lose negotiations, one thing you can almost always count on, is that someone will walk away unhappy. The approach practically demands it. If the winner really wins what he set out to do, then it was at the expense of the loser. The loser goes home with nothing but a lasting bad memory. If these two ever try to make another deal in the future, you can bet that the loser will be out for revenge.

I Win – You Win

The, I win you win philosophy doesn’t mean all things are equal. Someone usually has to come out ahead. The goal is for that someone to be you. That is the win – win. Both parties win, but you win bigger.

Win – win is realistic, but not easy. It requires patience and discipline. The first thing you need to do is identify what you need to achieve from the deal. Don’t automatically assume what you need. Think about it for a minute. Are you trying to bolster you minor league system? Do you want to dump a contract that you no longer can afford? Is there one piece missing for that stretch run? This will help you to understand the true parameters of your needs, what you can sacrifice, and what you can’t.

“Nobody is more persuasive than a good listener.” Dale Carnegie

Once you think you know what will satisfy your needs well. Find out what will satisfy their needs acceptably. The best way to get the most of what you want is to help the other side get some of what they want. Good deals echo – they lead to more deals. Remember that the process is negotiation, not ego-tiation.

Some people are trade addicts. Don’t trade for your ego placation. Many times the best deal is not to deal.

Relationship Building

“When you need a friend, it is too late to make one.” Mark Twain

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Dale Carnegie

When you make trades that lead to other deals, your return-on-effort will pay out longer with better, more lasting rewards. If you follow the win – win philosophy, you set out to get most of what you want by helping the other side get some of what they want. This will build relationships that can generate additional deals.

Do you know anything at all about the person in which you want something from? Why not? Even if you have no interest in other human beings (heaven forbid), this is a person in which you have common interests with (baseball, OOTP). Talk to people in the league, find out what they like and don’t like about their team. This info will help you to acquire the player you desperately want by finding ways to make their team better.

To sum up this article in one easy sentence….The best way to get what you want is to help the other side get what they want.

[mlyons]

What about the "I Lose -- You Win" philosophy? I'm pretty good at that one.

[pat]

Nice work scotto.

[Joshv02]

Wonderful post, Scott.

While I don't agree with all of it, I appreciate your very well thoughtout views.