Negotiation

You're in a job interview, you get the offer—but the salary? Way lower than expected. The worst move? Accepting on the spot. The second worst? Declining outright. Here's how you can take the 'ick' out of negotiating: 1. Start with Gratitude →“Thank you for the offer.” 2. Share Excitement →“I’m really excited about the role and joining the company.” 3. Address the Salary →“Before I accept, I’d like to discuss the salary. It’s below what I believe reflects the market value for my experience.” 4. Reinforce Your Value →“I’m confident my expertise in A and B, and my contributions to C and D will drive success here.” 5. Reiterate Market Value →“Based on my research and track record, I believe a salary range of X to Y would be more in line with the industry.” Where to do research? Check salary data on sites like Glassdoor, Payscale, and LinkedIn, or ask industry peers and recruiters for real-world insights. Pro tip: Use multiple sources to get a well-rounded view and always adjust for location and years of experience. P.S. Have you ever accepted a salary because you didn't know how to negotiation? I'll go first: Yes, I have...

The best negotiator I know is completely silent 70% of the time. Last year she closed $400M in deals saying almost nothing. In high-stakes negotiations, the person who truly understands human psychology wins. Not the loudest voice. Not the biggest title. The one who reads the room. FBI negotiator Chris Voss spent decades getting terrorists to release hostages. Now he teaches business leaders the same principles. And here's what surprised me most: These aren't secret tactics. They're learnable skills. Anyone can become a skilled negotiator. You just need to understand how humans actually make decisions. These 7 techniques are a great starting point. They've worked in life-or-death situations and multi-billion-dollar deals. 1. Strategic Silence teaches patience. Most of us rush to fill quiet moments. But silence creates space for better offers. Practice counting to 10 before responding. It feels eternal. It works. 2. "How" over "Why" shifts dynamics. One word change. Completely different conversation. Try it in your next meeting. Watch defensiveness disappear. 3. Addressing Fears builds trust fast. Name what they're worried about before they do. It shows you understand their position, not just your own. 4. Mirroring is almost unconscious. Repeat their words. They elaborate without realizing it. Simple technique. Profound results. 5. Getting to "No" seems counterintuitive. But "no" creates boundaries. Boundaries create honest dialogue. Real deals happen after "no," not before. 6. Confirming Concerns creates momentum. Summarize their position accurately. They feel heard. Feeling heard leads to flexibility. 7. Listing Objections removes their power. Say their doubts out loud first. They can't weaponize what you've already acknowledged. Every CEO needs this skill. Every leader benefits from understanding it. Every professional can learn it. The question isn't whether you need these skills. It's when you'll start developing them. P.S. Want a PDF of my Negotiation Skills Cheat Sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dDxE5v3B ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more negotiation insights.

Can a CEO in India Have Just “One Strategy” for the Country? If you think one strategy can win India, you probably haven’t understood India. Strategy, at its core, is about answering two questions: *𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲? 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐢𝐧? But India isn’t a monolithic market - it’s a continent masquerading as a country. A 24-year-old in Bengaluru doesn’t think like a 24-year-old in Kolkata. Language, aspirations, trust cues, even humour, everything shifts across regions. And if your strategy doesn’t adapt, you won’t get results. This doesn’t mean you throw consistency out the window. It means your strategic architecture must allow flexibility. One North Star, multiple expressions. When I’ve worked on pan-India brands, I’ve seen first-hand how the challenges in each region vary dramatically. While the common goal might be growth or market share, the “How to Win” is always market-specific. And no, it’s not just about language. 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 1. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐱: In many consumer durables, North India still relies heavily on small retail stores, with only marginal penetration of large-format national chains. Contrast that with Tamil Nadu or Kerala, where regional large-format chains (like Vasanth & Co., Saravana Stores, etc.) dominate, offering expansive product ranges. 2. 𝐄-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Urban clusters like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Pune have far deeper e-commerce adoption than many other parts of the country. Your channel strategy must reflect this disparity. 3. 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: Extreme winters in the North mean different packaging or formulations - think wide-mouth coconut oil bottles for easier use in cold weather. Similar complexities exist in garments, cosmetics, and FMCG. 4. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: Some of the quirkiest yet insightful regional habits tell you just how different each market is. For instance, Punjab was one of the biggest markets for washing machine “washers”, because they were repurposed for making lassi! I’ve seen such variations in adhesives, paints, edible oils - you name it. Are these driven by genuine consumer needs or legacy brand behaviors? You need real insight before you decide to change or challenge them. So, should a CEO craft a strategy for each state? Not necessarily. What I’ve seen work well is creating 3-4 strategic cohorts, clusters of markets with shared characteristics. This lets you balance consistency with agility, and scale with local relevance. Winning India means respecting its diversity, while anchoring your business to a clear, singular purpose. One size won’t fit all, but with the right strategic lens, many sizes can still serve the same mission. What are some unique market quirks you’ve seen in your industry across India? *Concepts from the book “Playing to Win” by A.G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin #India #Strategy

Italy’s proposal to strip carbon costs from wholesale electricity prices is shaping up to be one of the most consequential energy policy debates in Europe this year. As reported in the Financial Times, the Italian government wants to shift the cost of EU carbon permits for gas-fired power plants away from wholesale power prices and on to consumers directly. The argument is that gas often sets the marginal price in the electricity market, meaning carbon costs are embedded in all power prices, including renewables. The political logic is clear. Italian industry faces electricity prices well above the EU average, and competitiveness concerns are real. Industrial output has already declined over the past two years. High power costs are a serious issue that policymakers cannot ignore. But the implications of this proposal go far beyond Italy. The EU Emissions Trading System is a central pillar of Europe’s climate framework. Removing or neutralising its impact in the power sector at national level would weaken price signals that are designed to shift investment from fossil fuels to renewables. It could also reduce revenues for clean power producers and create distortions in cross-border electricity trade. If approved, the move would likely set a precedent. Other member states facing industrial pressure could follow. That risks fragmenting the single market and undermining the coherence of the EU’s climate architecture. There is a legitimate debate to be had about electricity market design, industrial competitiveness and the distributional effects of carbon pricing. But reforms of this magnitude are difficult to manage effectively at member state level. Energy markets and carbon pricing in Europe are deeply integrated. Unilateral interventions can quickly spill across borders. The coming months will test how resilient Europe’s climate framework is under economic and political pressure. The outcome will matter not just for Italy, but for the credibility of the EU’s decarbonisation strategy as a whole. UK

AI just told women to accept 20% less pay A new study from the Technical University of Würzburg-Schweinfurt (linked in comments) just confirmed what many of us suspected: ChatGPT and other AI models systematically recommend lower salaries for women than men with identical qualifications. Up to 20% lower. In some cases, that's a $120,000 difference just by changing "he" to "she" in the prompt. 😵💫 Let that sink in for a moment. As someone who's spent years helping women negotiate their worth, this doesn't shock me. These AI models are trained on data that reflects decades of systemic bias - the same bias that created the gender pay gap in the first place. But here's what concerns me most: women are increasingly turning to AI for career advice, including salary negotiation guidance. And now we know these tools are literally programming women to undervalue themselves. So let me be crystal clear about this: ⚡ Stop outsourcing your worth to machines that don't understand your value! ⚡ Your salary negotiation shouldn't be guided by an algorithm trained on historical inequality. It should be based on your actual market value, the specific problems you solve & the measurable impact you create and linking that to what companies truly need. The real issue isn't just biased AI - it's that many women lack the confidence and skills to negotiate effectively in the first place. And now AI is reinforcing those insecurities with "data-driven" advice that's actually discrimination-driven. Here's what you should do instead: 💪 Learn to negotiate as a core professional skill, focusing on advocating for yourself rather than others (which women tend to struggle more with than men) 💪 Research salary data from multiple sources, including human ones 💪 Build confidence through practice and preparation 💪 Focus on the value you bring, not what others "think" you deserve Because here's the truth: if we don't learn to advocate for ourselves effectively, we'll always be at the mercy of systems - human or artificial - that undervalue us.

I’ve sat in on hundreds of hours of contract negotiations. Here are some of the better arguments that I’ve heard for amending a contract (with examples from my work as a construction lawyer). 1️⃣ Amendments to make a contract mechanism more practical A particular contractual process may be too burdensome, impractical, or otherwise won't generate enough value for the parties to justify the cost / effort. This argument can be used to streamline dispute resolution processes, extend deadlines for notice requirements (and time bars), cut down on reporting requirements, and simplify contractual mechanisms that need to be administered by busy commercial teams. 2️⃣ Amendments to assign responsibility to the party best positioned to manage the risk The party that has more ‘control’ over any given situation should be responsible for that situation. This improves value for money and reduces potential overpricing by parties that are ill-equipped to manage that risk. This argument can be used to shift certain obligations to the other party or negotiate better price and time adjustments if you’re expected to manage risks beyond your control. 3️⃣ Amendments to take into account other contracts, or other parts of this contract Sometimes there may be duplicate liabilities under a different clause or contract, obligations that put you in breach of another contract that you’ve entered into, or requirements to procure other contractual arrangements (e.g. insurance or supplier warranties) that aren’t commercially available. This argument can be used to remove certain indemnities if the remedy for breach is enough, include practical workarounds in the commercial scope instead of the contract terms, or introduce limitations to use ‘best endeavours’ or procure on ‘commercially available terms’. 4️⃣ Amendments to make the contract more equitable for both parties Many contracts are drafted to favour one side over another (i.e. to benefit the client paying the drafting lawyer). There’s scope to negotiate the contract to be more equitable, provide better value for money, and make commercial sense for both parties. This argument can be used to push for certain mutual indemnities, introduce objective criteria into situations where one party is assessing claims, or set up mechanisms for the broader business environment that both parties are working in (e.g. pre-agreed price adjustments for inflation or commodity price changes). What are some arguments in contract negotiations that you like or don’t like? ---- Btw, I’m working on a longer-form article on the better and worse contract negotiation arguments that other lawyers and I have heard (with practical examples and reasons) for the 6,429 people on my mailing list. If you’re interested, I hope you’ll subscribe via my website or the link in my profile and give it a read. #lawyers #legalprofession #lawfirms #contractnegotiations

We lie. A lot. College students lie in 1 of every 3 conversations Adults in 1 of 5 81% of online dating profiles? They contain lies. So how do you whether someone is telling the truth? First: Don’t rely on stress signals. Sweating, fidgeting, nervousness? Not reliable. That’s the myth behind lie detectors. Real liars can stay calm. Truth-tellers can still get anxious. The better strategy? Use what researchers call the Cognitive Load Model. Lying is mentally exhausting. It takes more brainpower than telling the truth. Your job? Make it even harder. The trick is to increase their cognitive load. Make them think more. Force them to improvise. And the easiest way to do that? Unanticipated questions. When people expect the question, they can prepare a lie. But when you surprise them, liars stumble. They pause. They stall. They try to calculate on the fly. Truth-tellers? They answer quickly—because they don’t have to think twice. Example: Bad question: “How old are you?” Better question: “What year were you born?” Liars have to do math. Truth-tellers don’t even blink. In airport screenings, detection rates jump from 5% to 66% using this method. That’s the power of a good question. Don’t just look for nervousness. Make them think—and watch how they respond.

Mapping Leadership Cultures Into Negotiation Styles Most people see this Harvard Business Review model as a guide to leadership. But what if we translate it into negotiation understanding? That’s where things get truly interesting. This framework helps us predict how different cultures approach negotiations: whether they move fast or slow, whether decisions are made collectively or by the top person, and whether everyone gets a voice or hierarchy rules the table. Egalitarian vs. Hierarchical Egalitarian cultures (Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway) In negotiations, everyone speaks up. Titles matter less, and transparency is expected. If you skip over a junior team member, you might lose credibility. Hierarchical cultures (China, India, Saudi Arabia, Japan) Negotiations defer to authority. The key is finding the actual decision-maker. Respecting hierarchy is not optional—it’s how you earn trust. Negotiation takeaway: Egalitarian: share data openly, involve all voices, build collaboration. Hierarchical: show deference, be patient, and identify the true authority early. Top-Down vs. Consensual Top-Down (United States, UK, China, Brazil) Fast, decisive negotiations. Leaders expect concise proposals and quick decisions. “Get to the point” is the unspoken rule. Consensual (Germany, Belgium, Japan, Scandinavia) Negotiations are longer, structured, and process-heavy. Group alignment is essential before any commitment. Negotiation takeaway: Top-Down: summarize clearly, highlight outcomes, respect authority. Consensual: provide detail, allow time, and accept multiple review cycles. Quadrant-by-Quadrant Negotiation Styles Egalitarian + Consensual (Nordics, Netherlands): Flat, inclusive, data-driven talks. Slow, but highly durable outcomes. Egalitarian + Top-Down (US, UK, Australia): Pragmatic, fast-moving, with empowered decision-makers. Hierarchical + Top-Down (China, India, Russia, Middle East): Power-centric negotiations. Once leaders agree, things move quickly. Hierarchical + Consensual (Japan, Germany, Belgium): Structured and rule-bound. Decisions are slow but thorough and binding. Practical Advice for Negotiators Map the culture first. Use the model to locate your counterpart before talks begin. Adjust your pace. Push for speed in top-down cultures, slow down in consensual ones. Respect authority. Don’t bypass hierarchy in one culture or ignore inclusivity in another. Real-World Example When negotiating in Germany (consensual + hierarchical), you need: Detailed NegoEconomic calculations. Technical experts at the table. Patience for several review rounds. In contrast, in the United States (egalitarian + top-down): Present financial wins upfront. Keep it concise and bottom-line focused. Expect a quick decision from empowered managers. Final thought: Culture isn’t just a backdrop to negotiation. It shapes how deals are made, how trust is built, and how value is captured. The smartest negotiators map culture first—and strategy second.

We've all had nightmare supplier stories. Missed deadlines, poor quality, and a lack of accountability - these issues can literally threaten the existence of your company. After starting my own business and working professionally for over 20+ years, I've learned: Having the right suppliers can make or break your operations. I've found that asking the right questions can reveal so much about a supplier's capabilities, values, and more. It allows me to weed out bad fits early and lay the groundwork for a strong partnership. Here are the top 8 questions I always ask: 1️⃣ Walk me through your quality control processes from start to finish. I need to know they have legitimate procedures in place, not just words on paper. 2️⃣ What's your contingency plan if there's a major supply disruption? Their answer shows how proactive they are about risk mitigation. 3️⃣ How do you ensure you remain compliant with all industry regulations? Compliance is non-negotiable. I want to see their commitment baked in. 4️⃣ If I have an issue, what's the process for getting it resolved properly? A solid system for addressing problems is crucial before they snowball. 5️⃣ Can you provide some customer references I could speak with? Hearing directly from others about their capabilities and partnership is telling. 6️⃣ What makes you different or better than your competitors? I'm looking for a clear value proposition beyond just low costs. 7️⃣ Where do you want to take your company in the next 3-5 years? Gauging whether our longer-term visions remain aligned is important. 8️⃣ How do you stay innovative and keep improving your operations? The status quo isn't good enough. I need a supplier committed to continuous evolution. These questions have been indispensable for vetting suppliers over the years. If you can't get clear, trustworthy answers, it's probably not going to be a good partnership. I'd love to hear any other key questions my fellow entrepreneurs like to ask suppliers! Let's discuss in the comments. #suppliers #fashion #leadership

You’ve heard of a post-interview thank you note. Now get ready for the post-rejection thank you note! I see WAY too many job seekers viewing rejection as the end of the line. They cut ties with everyone at the company. These are people you spent 30-60+ minutes connecting with! They know your value, they know what you offer. They can be some of the best leads for new roles if you let them. So instead of letting rejection be the end of the line… Send a Post-Rejection Thank You note! Here's how to write one in 4 parts: 1. Thank them for taking the time to consider you 2. Wish them a ton of success with the hire they made 3. Mentioned specific things that you loved about the company, team, and speaking with them! 4. Ask if it'd be ok for you to stay in touch For example: "Hi Jamie, Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me last week! I heard the team made a hire, I'm super excited for you all and I'm wishing you a ton of success with [Initiative]. I really enjoyed interviewing at [Company], and I especially enjoyed our chat about the future of blockchain in the health tech space. If you're up for it, I'd love to stay in touch! Either way, have an awesome rest of the week." Now set a calendar invite to follow up with these people once / month. Aim to add value with your touch points. I promise they'll lead you to more opportunities.