I’m a planner, as a core element of what I teach involves creating Strategic Negotiation Plans based on the experts’ proven research. To implement proven negotiation strategies in a systematic, disciplined way, you must plan and think it through before you pick...
“What should I do? I have a significant upcoming negotiation. Ideally, I would hire you to consult with me on it. But I just can’t afford your fee. What’s the next best, lower cost option for me?” I get this question fairly frequently. Here’s my answer, which I...
What did we do? We pulled everyone in on Saturday and worked all weekend to get the job done. Frankly, we could have charged them a ton as we had strong leverage. But we didn’t. They were a good customer. And they’ve been a great and loyal customer ever since, even...
My wife sometimes reminds me to avoid shaking hands with people I meet if they exhibit signs of being sick, like sniffling or coughing. But this is tough for me, as it’s just an ingrained habit I’ve had for 40 years. It turns out that this habit can actually...
Former U.N. Ambassador, U.S. Secretary of Energy, New Mexico Governor, and Member of Congress Bill Richardson recently passed away. Interestingly enough, despite holding all these high-level government positions, he may have been most well-known for his ability as a...
My son starts college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois next week. Time flies! As the son of an author, he recently bought a book for my wife and me entitled “The Naked Roommate [For Parents Only]: A Parent’s Guide to the New College Experience.” I...
I recently attended a conference where an expert started his presentation with a photo of a toilet up on the big screen. What?!? Of course, it grabbed our attention. But it also made a serious point, as the speaker – Chris Graham – noted in “the part about toilets”...
“The buyer paid 8x my client’s EBITDA [a revenue-related financial calculation often used to help evaluate a company’s market value]. He didn’t have to pay this, as he had extremely strong leverage because he was my client’s largest retail outlet and one without...
I know the best way to maximize the financial value of my family business is to hire an investment banker and auction it off to the highest bidder. That’s all about leverage, right? And I need to achieve enough financial security to continue our current lifestyle...
