Assignment: Maintaining Long-Term Professional Relationships

One of the most important aspects of negotiating with someone or a business that you have a long-term and on-going relationship with is maintaining that relationship post-negotiation. Consider the following negotiation:

You are the project manager for a manufacturing company. You have a long-term relationship with a supplier that provides your company with computer chips for your product. There have never been any previous issues, and you and the supplier have had a great relationship. However, with the last shipment, there were defects in 25% of the chips. You need to discuss this issue with the supplier and determine the best solution. Your main concern is not ruining the relationship, but the defects are costly for your organization.

Based on this scenario, brainstorm your answers for the following areas:

Goals
Trades
Alternatives
Relationship
Expected outcome
Consequences of winning or losing
Power
Possible solutions

After completing the eight areas, prepare a letter to the supplier's president. Consider the elements above in the letter. Your letter should contain the following:

Current issue
Your suggestion for solving this issue
The outcome you would like to see
Time frame
Suggest your alternatives and solutions