“I only have about 30 minutes to strategically plan for this negotiation. And I know I should spend more time planning, but I have a ton going on right now. What should I do?” I get this question a lot. We are all busy and time-pressed. Given this, here is my...
Our son recently interviewed for internships this summer (he’s a Northwestern University junior double majoring in computer science and psychology). It got me thinking about one of the most consequential negotiations of our lives, our first real career opportunity....
Here is my annual list of lessons learned and links to the columns that more extensively address these strategies. Don’t forget to implement these in 2026! How you communicate and the tone of your voice – your pitch, inflection, pace, volume, emphasis and general...
We’ve all heard that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Originally penned by Scottish poet Robert Burns in his 1785 poem “To a Mouse,” this phrase recognizes that even the most carefully developed plans can end in disaster if and when the unexpected...
He rejected our tip. I was shocked. I’ve never had a tip returned. He had carried several pieces of our heavy luggage up four narrow flights of stairs to his Airbnb, so he deserved it. But he gave it back. Why? He said he was already fairly compensated just by our...
I was surprised when this agent said he was not interested in listing my mom’s condo after he learned I was meeting other agents. He said he was pretty busy and the condo’s value – and his commission based on it – was just not worth his time. I told him I understood....
There’s one main negotiation reason procurement professionals/buyers send out Requests for Proposals (RFPs) – to create leverage by developing better Plan Bs to their Plan A (which is not buying or just sticking with its incumbent). Of course, sellers also seek...
The major deal points for the sale of my client’s company were set. But we still needed to negotiate terms and conditions (Ts and Cs). And both sides needed it done quickly. As a result, my client insisted that we send a draft “final” contract, with very little room...
Years ago, a potential client asked me to help him negotiate and sell some commercial real estate in Phoenix. After he agreed to my fee, I sent him my standard two-page consulting contract to review and sign. Several days later, he suggested we just do this on a...
