In order to be an effective negotiator, you have to learn how to manage your emotions to maintain your credibility. You can’t let emotions drive the process and most certainly can’t take things personally—or the conversation will go south quickly. Josh King recently joined me on the Negotiations Ninja podcast to discuss negotiations and the tactics he’s learned over the years to manage emotions. It’s okay to take a step back from a negotiation …
How to Eliminate Cognitive Biases in Negotiations
A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that affects every decision or judgment that you make. Edmund Zagorin developed a software platform called Bid Ops that understands cognitive bias and factors it into the equation when developing quotes for potential buyers or suppliers. The two of us have a conversation about artificial intelligence and its impact on procurement in a recent episode of Negotiations Ninja. According to the Bid Ops Website, “Bid…
What Game of Thrones and the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Negotiation Tactics
In a recent episode of Negotiations Ninja, Oren Klaff joined me to talk about negotiation tactics. While I don’t watch Game of Thrones, Oren used an analogy that drove his point home and it is worth discussing. Winter is coming “Winter is coming” is a theme running throughout Game of Thrones. While it is layered with meaning, Oren points out that the critical subtext is this: a once in a thousand years winter is…
Practical Ways to Decrease the Tension between Procurement and Sales
Procurement and sales teams tend to have a negative view of each other. Salespeople view procurement as the people who take their deals, shave 20% off the top, and subsequently cause them to lose deals. John Barrows, my guest on a recent episode of Negotiations Ninja, and I discuss ways to decrease the tension between these two teams. Engage with procurement as early as possible Instead of waiting until the end of the…
Morgan J Ingram’s 11-Touch Prospecting Campaign
Sales prospecting is a complex and often complicated role to play. You have to learn how to connect with people and keep them engaged while convincing them of the usefulness of your product or service. Morgan J Ingram has narrowed down two strategies to push past rejection and connect with sales prospects: 1. The pattern interrupt. Instead of starting a phone call sharing your name, the business you’re with, and the cursory “How are…