This article comes from Jeff Cochranan’s insightful talk at our Chicago 2024 Chief Revenue Officer Summit. Check out his full presentation and our wealth of OnDemand resources.

Do you negotiate on a regular basis? Now, be honest, do you actually enjoy it? If you’re anything like me when I first started out, the idea of negotiating might make you a little uncomfortable, and that’s okay.

When we think about negotiations, we often picture two personality types. There’s the person who lives for it—the one who loves getting a great deal and has a story about how they outsmarted someone. And then there’s the rest of us—people who worry about being taken advantage of, making a bad deal, or just not knowing the right things to say.

Let me be honest—I'm not one of those natural-born negotiators who walks down the street exuding confidence about every deal. In fact, most people would probably look at me and think, "That guy just got ripped off." But over the years, I’ve learned that negotiation isn’t about being natural. It’s about understanding the process. It’s a skill, and like any skill, it can be mastered.

The key to negotiation isn’t intimidation, luck, or talent—it’s structure. That’s why, today, I want to share with you a simple, repeatable process that works in high-stakes deals, everyday transactions, and everything in between.

So let’s get started.

The core philosophy: Prepare, probe, propose

Negotiation doesn't have to be scary. As Madame Curie once said, "Nothing in life is to be feared. It's only to be understood." This perfectly captures the essence of negotiation. Fear often drives our worst negotiation behaviors—fear of being taken advantage of, fear of losing, or even fear of winning too much.

Remember when we were kids, and they drilled "Stop, Drop, and Roll" into our heads? They wanted that response to be second nature in an emergency. Well, I want "Prepare, Probe, Propose" to be just as automatic when you step into a negotiation.

  1. Prepare – Know your objectives, understand your alternatives, and anticipate objections before you step into the conversation.
  2. Probe – Ask the right questions to uncover what the other side truly values. Often, what they say they want and what they actually need are two different things.
  3. Propose – Structure a deal that maximizes value for both parties while keeping your priorities intact.

This isn’t a magic trick—it’s a framework. And when you use it consistently, negotiation stops being a battle and starts becoming a process.