Working Diary 03 - Hello! We could offer you...

I am an introvert person and talking to strangers makes me feel uncomfortable and anxious. Our company requires us to find and negotiate with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) on behalf of the company who is suitable for the promotion direction of our products. At first, I was intimidated and even resistant to this task. But I knew I had to face it, so I had to find the courage to ask my colleagues for tips on how to negotiate with KOLs.

(photo by fauxels on Pexels)

The communication skills I learned were to make it clear from the very beginning how we wanted to work together so that both sides of the communication were clear about what each other wanted. The next step is to keep emphasising the benefits we could offer to the partner when the KOLs have questions about our approach. For example, if we ask the KOLs to write a marketing blog post and insert a link to our products, then a 15% commission will be returned to the KOL if readers click through the link to the shopping site and buy the product. As long as the article is not deleted, this potential interest remains, and this is a point that we need to emphasise repeatedly in our negotiations. This way of speaking makes it easier for the KOL to be attracted to the point of interest, thus increasing the success rate of the negotiation.

As long as the article is not deleted, this potential interest remains, and this is a point that we need to emphasise repeatedly in our negotiations. This way of speaking makes it easier for the KOL to be attracted to the point of interest, thus increasing the success rate of the negotiation.

This style of business communication requires a firm mindset and a friendly tone that clearly expresses the purpose of the collaboration while making the other party think they are the beneficiary. At first, I thought that a dose of politeness and politeness would definitely gain the goodwill of the other party. But my colleague reminded me that it is not as simple as asking for a favour between friends, so the attitude must not be too soft. The way to do business is to be assertive in your plans for cooperation and to persuade the other party to accept our proposal if possible while maintaining the maximum level of politeness and respect.