Transform the Way
Your Team Negotiates

In Procurement, we're often seen as the 'bad cops,' a label many of us have secretly enjoyed. It's all about power, using tactics like tendering and sometimes playing our cards close to our chest. Then came Tactical Empathy, and it flipped everything on its head. It's not just about getting what we want at the moment; it's about building trust for the long run and leaving everyone feeling good.I thought I got the gist from Never Split the Difference and various podcasts on the Internet, but practicing it was a whole different ball game. That's where this workshop comes in. It's been a real eye-opener, showing me not just what I was doing right, but also where I was stumbling. If you're in Procurement and starting to see how Tactical Empathy can change the game, this training is a must. It takes your skills, polishes them up, and pushes you to the next level.

This was a complete shift in perception and the emotional charge around negotiating. I grew up thinking negotiation meant bargaining — finding middle ground where no one truly wins. That dynamic leaves resentment and makes future trade difficult. The first thing I learned was that negotiation isn’t compromise — it’s connection. It felt like a tactical rebellion, and who doesn’t love being a rebel. I started with mirroring, repeating the last three words of someone’s sentence. To my surprise, they elaborated. “Chris was right!” I thought. The Black Swan Method works — anywhere people have a functioning limbic system. Over time, I realized most conversations begin as “my perspective vs. yours.” Nobody leaves feeling heard, understood, or valued. The Black Swan Method shifts that dynamic through empathy. At first, I wondered if using these techniques was manipulative. But I learned it’s necessary. The Black Swan Method is calibrated toward exhibiting empathy — something our world is deficient in. Tactical empathy isn’t just a technique; it’s a mental model that should precede every conversation. Thank you, Chris, Brandon, Derek, and the entire Black Swan team. I’m still learning — getting my reps in daily.

We are a coaching company in the agriculture space. We utilize what we call a 9-Word email, famously created by Dean Jackson. The copy is essentially "Are you still interested in getting help?" We send this to our entire 30K+ email list every month. It shakes fruit out of the trees for Sales to start the closing process. What I discovered is that it requires a "yes" when we COULD get our list to agree with a "no". So I tested it. Changing the copy to "Would you be opposed to hopping on a call and getting some help today?" The Sales team was FLOODED with leads after that test. Since then we started sending this version at the end of the month to ensure everyone has enough leads to hit their quota. Simple, yet powerful.