“Sale ends soon! Get your discount before it expires! We only have 30 minutes before I need to leave for the airport. Make your final offer!” How many of us have heard or used similar phrases to create a sense of urgency in our negotiations? Knowingly or unknowingly,...
I recently spent some time with a giant in the negotiation and persuasion field, social psychologist and bestselling author of Influence: Science and Practice, Professor Robert Cialdini. Several of his timeless and research-based proven principles underlie crucial...
It seems like a no-brainer: cheating on a test or intentionally lying about a material fact in a negotiation is immoral and a fundamental violation of trust and integrity. I was thus shocked to read that out of 95 University of Pennsylvania Wharton School students...
I distinctly remember our negotiation team getting on my client’s Gulfstream jet and heading to New York City for a 2-hour initial lunch meeting with the private equity group interested in bidding for his Arizona-based tech company. It was a great trip – but also...
I have come across some incredibly arrogant know-it-alls in my career, a bunch of whom had the intellectual chops to back it up, but others who were just posers. Either way, their attitude turned off everyone around them and limited their opportunities and choices in...
The letters “O.K.” are the two most expensive letters in the alphabet. Why? Because this is how many respond when offered a job and don’t even bother to counter. Of course, this is often a mistake, as described in last week’s column (the first three major mistakes...
I didn’t even think about asking for more,” she told her friend who had recently negotiated a higher salary when offered a job. “I will definitely ask next time.” Fortunately for her, she’s a rising college senior and will almost certainly have the opportunity soon to...
I am shocked that music legend Prince died in 2016 without a will. This resulted in legal and administrative expenses of over $85 million out of an estate valued at around $156 million and a massive tax bill. Wow! And while I don’t feel badly for his heirs – who still...
“We think our oldest wants the house but not cash. He has no kids and probably doesn’t want our lake cabin. But we’re not sure. Our daughter wants the house and cabin plus our jewelry, largely for her daughters. She probably wants cash for her kids’ college, too. Of...
