
Don’t Be So Sure: Why Your Assumptions Kill Deals
When was the last time being "sure" about someone's reaction actually helped you close a deal? The Problem: You're Negotiating With Ghosts The moment...

How Simply Listening Better Will Lead You to Better Negotiation Outcomes
If I were to poll our readership right now to determine how many of you think you're good listeners, more than half would raise their hand, which...

Your 1 Way to Becoming Extraordinary: Harness Real Empathy
There’s no question that everyone has some understanding of empathy. Your first instinctual reaction to the title of this article was probably...

This Secret Skill is How You Nail a Cold Call
Cold calling might be the most unpleasant part of working in sales. You have to somehow manage to charm a stranger into donating or buying a product...

Negotiation Training: 5 Crucial Aspects of Emotional Intelligence You Forget to Use
As former FBI negotiators and professional negotiation coaches, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about emotional intelligence (EQ)....

Women and Tone
In the workplace, a woman’s tone of voice has a profound impact on how she’s perceived. If a woman should ever be wrongly thought of as whiny or...

Overcome Weaknesses as a Negotiator: Assertive Personality
Whenever you find yourself at an impasse in a negotiation, you need to know how you got there. We need to admit that the approach we use to get...

Overcoming Weaknesses as a Negotiator: Analyst Personality
Whenever we sit down at the table, we need to understand that the counterpart is not the same person as us. Assuming they think like you and share...

Sales and Negotiation Skills Training: High-Performing Mindset
Many negotiators are stifled by what business coach Dan Sullivan calls the gap or fixed mindset. Conversely, the best negotiators in the world see...

4 Negotiation Skills All Professionals Should Have
No two negotiators are the same, but the world’s best negotiators share many similarities. They not only bring the right mindset to the table each...

How To Get Buy-In With The 3 Most Effective Communication Techniques
This blog was originally published on 03/6/2017 and updated on 7/16/2020. Negotiation is an information-gathering process. It’s not about getting...

What Type of Negotiation Are You Walking Into?
At a high level, The Black Swan Group believes that all negotiations are the same. Whenever you find yourself in a negotiation, regardless of the...