How to Negotiate a Hollywood sized Deal

Are you experienced in the area of deal negotiation?

William Shatner as the Priceline Negotiator

I have used Priceline many times to get a great airline fare, or hotel room. Priceline's Name Your Own Price feature is very helpful, and it also is very similar to real life negotiation. If the price you name is too low, then it will reject that offer. If you come really close to a reasonable offer, Priceline will show you a close offer that is near your price. If you name a price that is higher than their lowest accepted price, then they will pocket the change, no questions asked.

Quick Movie Reference:
Back in 1998, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey were in the movie, The Negotiator, and Kevin Spacey was the hostage negotiator. Kevin Spacey's character found out that Samuel L. Jackson's character was really not the bad guy. It was the guys on the police force that were really crooked. That's tough, when the good guys are really bad, and the bad guy is really good. You have to pick a side, you know.

Samuel L. Jackson & Kevin Spacey in The Negotiator (1998).

But I'm not talking about negotiating for hostages, I'm talking about negotiating for payment when making a contract to perform a service.

If you are a Hollywood movie star, then chances are that you have an agent that negotiates on your behalf.

But many hard-working people have to negotiate their salaries, and some people that work for freelance have to negotiate per project.

So how do you make the Hollywood sized deal?

First, you need to know the industry-standard rate of performing work.

Second, you need to know the lowest you are willing to get paid for a job.

Third, you have to take a chance and throw out a number. If it is too high, then they will let you know.

But you will never know what you can get unless you ask.

If you try to negotiate, and you are "out of the ballpark," this means you are too far apart to actually make a deal.

Negotiating a Hollywood sized deal can be fun and exciting, and it gets easier as you gain experience.

Just remember: It is always easier to shoot a little high in negotiating, and come down a little, than to throw out a number that is at the bottom, because you have a hard time trying to negotiate the price up.

How is the U.S. Economy? Not Good in 2012

Uncle Sam holding U.S. debt sign

You must be wondering how the U.S. economy is doing. The real answer is: Not good.

The U.S. public debt as of July 2012 was $15.93 trillion. The largest national economy in the world is the U.S. economy, estimated at over $15 trillion in 2011, with a per capita GDP of $48,450.00

 The U.S. public debt includes:

• Debt held by the public 
• Debt held by government accounts or intra-governmental debt

U.S. Public Debt as of 2010; Source: United States Government

What about jobs in the U.S.?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 44 states reported over-the-month unemployment rate increases in July 2012. The unemployment rate is really bad.

Not good.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported in an economic news release that employers in the private non-farm sector initiated 1,476 mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2012 that resulted in the separation of 262,848 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days.

That is horrible news!

I know. I can attest to the poor job situation. I work in the U.S. and even live in one of the best places to get a job, and the outlook is very dismal. This recession continues to drag on.

In fact, anyone that goes to a job interview will hear the words "bad economy" because every employer talks about it candidly in interviews. Anyone that is looking for a job in the U.S. is hoping for a new president. Those who don't work and rely on the government like the current president. The government is not meant to provide, and people should not expect the government to take care of them.

The best thing any American can do to turn this poor economic recovery around is to vote for a new president in November - a president that knows what he is doing, and one that will not continue to allow the economic recession to continue.

If you are interested in reading more about the bad U.S. economy, read: 55 Interesting Facts About the US Economy in 2012

President Nixon "I am not a crook" and President Obama "I am not a dictator"

Michael Phelps Wins More Medals in London 2012 Olympics

Michael Phelps wearing Olympic medals

How many Olympic medals has Michael Phelps won?

Michael Phelps currently holds a record-breaking 22 medals total in his Olympic career. He holds more medals than the following countries on the all time medals list: Morocco (21), Thailand (21), Lithuania (16), Chile (13), and Venezuela (12).

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--one-billion-vs--one--michael-phelps--one-man-medal-haul-could-match-all-of-india.html

To the right you can see Michael Phelps Medal record in the 2012 London Olympics in the various swimming events. Michael Phelps biggest competitor has been Ryan Lochte.

Michael Phelps Received Tweet From President

"Congrats to Michael Phelps for breaking the all-time Olympic medal record," Obama tweeted. "You’ve made your country proud. -bo"

Phelps tweeted back: "Thank you Mr. President!! It's an honor representing the #USA !! The best country in the world!!"

Michael Phelps swimming during Olympic competition

Everyone in the United States wants to congratulate you on a job well done. Thanks for making us proud, Michael.