Interests, options and reality:
A case study.
My old gym has been trying to bring me back. Almost weekly, they email me invitations to take advantage of their ‘fabulous’ offers exclusive to former members.
I get that they’re a business. They want success. As many members as possible, paying as much as possible.
They seem to think I will rejoin simply because they email me an invitation to do so. I see no consideration of the possibility that I have interests here too. They’ve not once asked me why I am no longer a member. So they have no idea how to bring me back - only that it is in their interest to have my dues.
Perhaps had they thoroughly reality tested their chosen options for meeting their obvious interest, they would have learned quite a lot. Here’s a quick sampling of how they compare to my new gym.
- They offer more classes.
But those classes are always overcrowded and often the only way to have a spot is to spend 30 minutes waiting in line. - They have very similar machines.
But there is less variety and always a wait. We have to sign machines out and are kicked off by the next customer as soon as our time is up. - They offer towels. If you pay extra.
- They charge twice as much for membership.
What lessons have I learned here that we can apply to mediation and principled negotiation?
- It’s not enough to identify your own interests, and options to meet them.
- To reach an agreement that satisfies you, you might have to consider the other party’s interests as well.
- If you don’t do so, agreement can still be reached. But it might not be your ideal. In this case, I went somewhere new once my membership was up at that old gym.
