Entrepreneurial Leadership

great decision can result from a marginal one that is followed by adjustment, reframing, pruning, and fixing.

When you make a mistake, admit it, apologize, fix it, and move on determined to learn, developing pattern recognition that allows you to make better decisions next time.

It’s all the little decisions after the big ones that make the difference.

Listening for ways to solve others’ problems is a key to sales—as well as to entrepreneurial leadership.

Imagine sales as a way to delight others, to solve their problems, to make their lives better

Build and nourish a network without regard to instant returns. Imagine planting trees under which a next generation will sit.

The best way to get comfortable negotiating is to do it frequently.

A good starting point for a successful negotiation is figuring out what the other party wants and finding a way to give it to him without jeopardizing your own position

A good starting point for a successful negotiation is figuring out what the other party wants and finding a way to give it to him without jeopardizing your own position. When you realize your job is to set the price for helping your counterparty achieve his or her objectives, you’ll begin to develop a successful approach.

Solve for fairness. Ensure respectful discussion. Seek to be respected, not loved.

Conceding that your counterparty’s interests are legitimate conveys respect and empathy. If they can see you’ve made an effort to understand their perspective, they’re likely to be less defensive and more willing to engage in honest dialogue, making it easier to find a solution that everyone sees as a win.

if your “opponent” benefits from doing business with you, and you walk away satisfied, too, you’ve created two wins instead of one. Strengthening your relationship with the other party can mean more business, more referrals, a stronger brand, and more durable agreements.

Most people will tell you what they want out of the negotiations if you ask the right questions. Professional negotiators call this having an investigatory mind-set. In negotiation, as in life, doing more listening than talking is a good rule of thumb

When negotiations are governed by facts and principles—rather than posturing and tactics—there is no reason to become emotional during the discussion.

When other parties become emotional, step away or attempt to cool things off. Don’t react to provocation. Learn to ignore some things.

if the emotions expressed during a negotiation make you feel uncomfortable, resist the urge to concede or wrap up the negotiation too quickly, just to get away from the unpleasant feelings.

“Bringing anger to a negotiation is like throwing a bomb into the process, and it’s apt to have a profound effect on the outcome.”

you want to choose the people you’re negotiating with whenever you can.

“You can’t do good business with bad people.”

“Never wrestle with a pig; you both get dirty and the pig likes it.”