Annie DeVaux

Annie DeVaux is a performer and Production Sales Representative for Event Show Productions.  Event Show Productions is a corporate entertainment company that provides creative and technical services for corporations across the globe.  Annie has been performing for the company for eight years and recently has taken on the responsibility of putting together proposals for clients, who are looking for entertainment and production ideas at their next conference, party, and many other corporate events.  I got a chance to sit down with Annie and ask her a couple of questions regarding negotiating.

In the entertainment business, you have dealt with a lot of clients as a performer.  Now that you are proposing ideas to these clients and you know how some of them operate, how do you separate the people from the problem?

I always tell the client that it is going to work out.  Telling them that it is going to work out calms them down before we even get started.  I try to make them feel a part of the solution.  I do not give them multiple options.  I give them one option, and then get their feedback.  If they do not like the first option, then I give them another one.

How do you handle affiliating with your clients?

I like to talk to them in person.  Seeing them helps me tell their tone and feel them out.  I then treat them like they have an in.  If they have been dealing with the company for some time now, then I really want to make them feel privileged.  This makes them want to work with us, and continue working with us in the future.

Have you ever used BATNA?

Yes, but actually the client uses it a lot of the time.  They will call and have a set budget in mind.  What they want for that budget costs a lot more then they are willing to pay.  I will tell them what we can do to shift things around in order to keep their budget the same, and they usually say to me that they can get what they want from another company.  My job is to sell what we offer and let them know that it is the best.  I tell them that we have the highest quality and they always want to think about it.  They usually call back because they want the best, and also because they never had a BATNA to begin with.

What is the most important thing to you when negotiating?

Making them feel they have told you everything they need to tell you.  If you have all of the information, then you can do the best job possible in fulfilling what they want.  Make it so our company is adding more and making it better.

Dealing with negotiating in the corporate entertainment industry can be a challenge.  Annie has the right tools to be successful in the industry, and making her clients happy one step at a time.