The corporate world is effective, and can often move proverbial mountains. That being said, it can also be a tyrant to those it chews up in its midst. While ethical standards are at an all time high at the moment, or at least public awareness is forcing this to become the trend, it’s still notable that many people can be taken advantage of if they do not know their worth or understand how to manage it. For instance, in developing industries such as video game development, periods of ‘crunch’ are notorious for ensuring all employees and contractors submit to 110-120 hour weeks as the final deadline for release is met. In many industries, these practices have been restricted or at least managed.
Avoiding being taken advantage of in business, no matter if you’re an employee trying to make a name for himself or a smaller business trying to defend your right to exist, or perhaps even an individual having to grapple with an impromptu dealing of this type, it’s important to know where to begin and what effect that may have.
With the following advice, we’ll come to understand that together:
Understand Your Worth
Understand the worth you hold at your fingertips. This may not just be in your professional skillset, but in what circumstance can offer you. For instance, Vertical Consultants have been helping individuals and families a chance to better negotiate rental leases for their cell tower arrangements, providing unaware families the facts of the value they may be sitting on. This, in turn, can help them avoid sleek sales pitches from corporate cellular firms and instead firmly announce the worth of their asset in negotiations.
Fact Check Everything
Fact check everything that you’re told and also that you tell the opposing party. For instance, an insurance salesman might tell you that this is the only and best rate you can get for insuring your workplace vans, and without having checked many different options prior to this it’s easy to use the fear of losing out to drive yourself into an impromptu purchase. The truth may be much different. That being said, if you also offer something in return, such as getting a quote for the number of miles that your fleet drives on average, it’s best to book those numbers up. The closer you can get to the facts, the better any negotiation will go.
The Power Of ‘No’
It’s not in your interest to just flat out refuse to aid your boss or to be a team player, but it can sometimes be that you’re being exploited for your willingness to help, or you’re having to pick up the work of several team members around you. Learning ‘the power of no’ can help you give a clear value judgment and will show that your good-natured, hard work ethic has a stopping point. This can help you stand up for your professional image, even if that’s refusing to swap shifts with someone who regularly relies on you for this.
With this advice, we hope you can avoid being taken advantage of in business life.
