Don't Take the Acquisition Meeting
The corp dev intro sounds like flattery. It's calibration. The buyer learns what you'd sell for, not to buy, and you pay for that in the next negotiation.
Angle
Negotiation
7 posts
The Proposal Didn't Lose the Deal
Sales teams review lost deals by inspecting the proposal. That's the wrong artifact. The deal died earlier, and the proposal just recorded the time of death.
Celebrate the Win, Miss the Lesson
Skipping the debrief leaves money on the table. Dissect every win for the mechanism, treat every failure as tuition, run the post-mortem.
Bill Campbell's Top Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Bill Campbell's playbook for founders: people-first culture, strategic hiring, disciplined finances, and empathetic negotiation.
Give People an Out and They Say Yes More Often
A researcher on a French street found four words that moved sign-rates more than most sales training does.
You Can Do Better If You Know Your BATNA
Good negotiating isn't closing as many deals as possible — it's knowing your BATNA well enough to say no when you can do better.
4 Steps for Boosting Your Negotiation Skills
Most negotiations fail from lack of preparation, not hardball tactics. Four steps to walk in ready and close a better deal.