I have been cataloguing a few old folders over the past month and came across the photo below. It is the photo of a whiteboard from one of the largest deal negotiations that I have been involved in over the last decade (9 figures). The negotiation team that we were working ‘with’ on the other side consisted of some of the most professional negotiators I have ever had the pleasure to deal with. During the 6 week negotiation, I learned a lot from them thanks to a very observant teammate.

That board was a 3 hour internal dialogue to prepare me for a 30 minute phone conversation. We role played out the conversation, areas where the conversation would go, objections that would come up, rat holes to be avoided and where to stand firm.

In the end, both parties were happy with the outcome, but it was tough and the experience reaffirmed my motto of practice, practice, practice. Whether doing a presentation, meeting a client for the first time, running a negotiation, practice and preparation pay.

I need to Photoshop this photo and clean it up a bit, it deserves a good frame.