“You Don’t Get What You Deserve. You Get What You Negotiate."

I’m always scared before and DURING a negotiation.

Fear = the illusion of having no control.

But I’ve learned that there are no mathematical equations in a negotiation. It’s all an illusion. You make it up. And you have to make sure the formula you decide is the formula that wins.

Or at least doesn’t lose.

Because it’s a deal. Not a war. So I want at least half of the control in a negotiation.

Preferably 51% to, I don’t know. Let’s say 70%.

But not 100%. That’s not a negotiation. That’s a hostage situation.

It’s not “I win. You lose.”

The buyer and the seller BOTH have to be happy.

Everyone needs to win some. The boss and the employee. The parent and the child.

This is just one of the 1,000 lessons I’ve learned about negotiation over the years.

So I decided to put them all in one podcast.

Here’s me with podcast producer extraordinaire, Steve Cohen talking about our negotiation wins, losses and lessons:

And here are some of the best quotes from the episode.

“You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.” – Steve Cohen

“There are no mathematical equations in a negotiation. It’s all an illusion. You make it up. And you have to make sure the formula you decide is the formula that wins.” – James Altucher

“You have to be able to walk away. If you feel you can’t, you have to imagine scenarios in your head and sincerely believe them that you can walk away from a negotiation” – James Altucher

“First you have courage. Then you have confidence” – Steve Cohen

“50% of something is worth more than 100% of nothing.” – James Altucher

“Have faith over fear.” – Steve Cohen

“Don’t negotiate against yourself” – James Altucher

“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” – Steve Cohen

Links & Resources:

• “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Become a Great Negotiator“
• “The Ten Worst Things You Can Do in a Negotiation“
• “Persuasion 101 for Fun and Profit“
• “10 Lessons From Shark Tank“
• “How to Persuade Anyone of Anything in 10 Seconds“
• “How to Negotiate Anything in Three Easy Lessons“