Do You Know Who You really Negotiate Against?

Never negotiate against who… or what? You may be thinking it’s a corporate raider, the government, your boss, or your partner. Most people won’t believe this, but the worst person you can negotiate against is yourself. You negotiate against yourself when you think that you know: Most times, you are just making assumptions. When a […]

How to Tackle a Blocker that Pretends To Be a Decision-Maker

Everyone has experienced a blocker in their lives, especially if you work in sales. The blockers circle the real decision-makers, like bodyguards who limit access to the movers, shakers, and decision-makers. Sometimes blockers don’t only block people, but information. They become a vault that encapsulates the information that others want. Some common blockers we see […]

What to Do When a Stranger Interrupts a Negotiation

You’ve been working on this negotiation for six months and made lots of progress. Notably, you’ve identified your negotiation purpose and undertand the real problems that need to be addressed.  Also, you have listed all your and your respected opponent’s team members. You’ve identified the decision-makers, influencers, or blockers.  You also have a good idea […]

Intro to Video: An agent comes from another agency and wants to keep the same rates. Should we try to match his rates? This is Part 4 of the transcript from Dave DeSantis’ webinar for GreenWave Commissions CEO Slava Isayev. (If you missed Part 3, listen here.) Slava Isayev: Dave, if you could help us […]

When people are afraid or hesitate in negotiations, it all boils down to two fears of negotiation. This is Part 3 of the transcript from Dave DeSantis’ webinar for GreenWave Commissions CEO Slava Isayev. (If you missed Part 2, listen here.) [00:00:00] Dave: This leads us to the two fears of negotiation and this is […]

Once you understand what a negotiation is and when you are in one, it’s time to erase the negotiation myths that allow your respected opponent to gain from you. This is Part 2 of the transcript from Dave DeSantis’ webinar for GreenWave Commissions’ CEO Slava Isayev. (If you missed Part 1, listen here.) Dave DeSantis: […]

What 80% of People Don’t Know About Negotiation – Part 1

Ask a roomful of colleagues to define “negotiation,” and you’ll get all different answers. This excerpt from Dave DeSantis’ webinar with GreenWave helps you get your team on the same page and confront their biggest fear in negotiation.

Why “Always Be Closing” Doesn’t Maximize Potential Value

Suppose you focus on selling or chasing a positive result in a negotiation. In that case, you miss many opportunities to discover the real problems your respected opponent is trying to solve and maximize potential value for yourself. “Always be closing” focuses on the end of the negotiation process or the outcome, which is not […]

NEED: a requirement for survival fueled by adrenaline, fear, and emotion. It is often falsely confused with our wants. WANT: something that can improve our life but is not a requirement for survival. NEEDY:  a word used to describe someone that confuses their wants with their needs. But that’s what we need A VP said […]

How to Climb to the Top in Sales (Without Being a Cad)

Camp Negotiation’s Personal Coaching Client Landed a New Position and Rose to the Top in Sales in 12 Months To say that Michael (name changed) was unhappy in his job was putting it lightly. As a sales engineer for a major software company, he was frustrated by a corporate culture that conflicted with his business […]

How To Stay Ahead Negotiating the New Year’s Trends

Start the year with something that works. Serious negotiators don’t rely on tactics, tips, and tricks. What do serious negotiators rely on? Principles and behaviors. Here are thoughts about how to apply the Camp System principles and behaviors to navigate and negotiate the New Year’s trends. We reference the trends in a Forbes article by […]

How to Take Responsibility for your Own Decisions

Negotiation is about taking responsibility to make decisions.  You are in a negotiation when: You are asking someone to make a decision, or You are communicating a decision you made to another person or party. We are inclined to say Yes Unfortunately, many people from every walk of life are only comfortable asking for decisions […]

Why an “Adversary” and not a “Partner”?

Some clients had problems with the late Jim Camp’s words after ten minutes of his coaching. They didn’t like Camp’s use of the phrases “respected adversary”  or “respected opponent” when he referred to the person on the other side of the table. “Negotiation isn’t a war,” they rebutted. Why didn’t Jim use words like friend, […]

The Value of Research Before Negotiating

Are you able to recognize and act fast on opportunities? Do you see the latent problems in seemingly attractive offers and stay away from hidden disasters?  For a professional negotiator, this is not a special talent, but a by-product of the work they do before they sit down at the negotiation table. As a core […]

Why You Need a Negotiation Purpose

The all-important Negotiation Purpose is #3 of 7 Principles of the Camp Negotiation System. Our seven principles are fundamental truths that do not change throughout our system. 7 Principles of Camp Negotiations Negotiation is the effort to create agreements between two or more parties with all parties having the right to veto. (Anyone can say […]

How to Negotiate with Difficult People

Is your client, colleague, or respected opponent a difficult person? Do they ask for favors, dominate, or stretch the truth? When negotiating, difficult people can become a nightmare. We’ll show you how to stay a few steps ahead of them and structure your interactions to prevent your negotiation from derailing. Tale of Two Leaders Let’s […]

How Great Negotiators Work – Interview with Todd Camp & Lanham Napier

As CEO of Rackspace, Lanham Napier had a secret weapon: Jim Camp. Why would a CEO need a negotiation coach? In this interview, Bob Jordan, president of Interim Execs, the voice of the Start with No audiobook and book collaborator, interviewed Napier and Todd Camp. Napier talks about how he used the Camp System while […]

What is a Negotiator’s Most Valuable Asset?

We coach business owners and executives that your reputation is a negotiator’s most valuable asset. Our job is to help you become an effective and efficient negotiator. For many, this enhances their sense of professionalism and calmness in difficult situations. To become a professional negotiator, you must strive for emotional neutrality throughout the entire process. […]

How to Stop Win-Win From Feeding on Your Neediness

By Dave DeSantis If you are up against a win-win negotiator, they know how to use that approach to victimize you. They can sniff out your “neediness” as you enter the room, like a dog that smells the bacon before you put it in the pan. Everyone wants to sniff out someone else’s neediness, but […]

Negotiation Budget: How to Manage It

If we don’t examine our negotiation budget, we will make bad decisions and compromise more than necessary. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have been challenged in how we think and behave at work, home, school, and other environments. We once took all this for granted. Now, there are more and different types of […]

How To Distinguish Negotiation Pain and Problems

Without pain, there’s no reason for a negotiation. The greater the pain, the more value is placed on its solution. We’ll show you how we distinguish and identify negotiation pains and problems.

How to Negotiate with Bullies

Negotiations with your adversary are about creating a vision that your opponent can see – even if they are a bully or unreasonable. Avoid the trap of price dropping by following the Camp System.

Negotiation Guilt – Are You Feeling It?

Very often, especially in times of change, a respected opponent will try to use guilt to influence you to see things their way and agree to their terms. Your guilt may cause you to make concessions in a negotiation that you would not ordinarily consider. In the Camp System, we refer to anyone you are […]

The Danger of Leverage

The best use of leverage or power is in your ability to not use it.

What 50% of People Don’t Know About Getting A Raise

Many people march into their boss’ office at an emotional time and ask for more money. Camp Negotiations has a better way to work toward a raise, promotion, or job change, where you won’t look desperate or needy.

How to Navigate the Problematic Internal Negotiations

It’s vital to plan for an internal negotiation with your team members before you begin to negotiate with outsiders.  This is a requirement. This internal negotiation should be as structured and well-planned as the ones outside of your organization. Let’s say you have an upcoming meeting with a prospect. The account manager has to be […]

What Causes a Negotiation to Stall?

When an average negotiator talks about what’s stalling a negotiation, they’ll start complaining. They’ll say how their adversaries are stubborn, idiotic, difficult, uncooperative, greedy, or manipulative. Many people think that the problem is “the other person.” They may not admit this, but that’s often what they’re thinking and complaining about. The other person is the […]

Avoid a Negotiation Mistake (that 90% of Businesses Make)

Todd Camp offered his secrets of high-stakes negotiations as a guest on “The Sales Reinvented Podcast” with Paul Watts. Todd and Paul covered: Why people don’t like to negotiate (2:13) How to plan for high-stakes negotiations (3:17) Attributes of a good negotiator (5:15) Todd reveals a successful negotiation tool (Don’t miss this!) (6:27) Todd’s “Top […]

How To Stop Lying In Business and Everyday Life

Written by Allan Tsang, Camp Negotiation Coach Picture this. You are a supplier that recently signed a big contract with a critical customer. It’s a massive win for your company. There’s only one problem: you have issues with your own suppliers. The first two orders to this customer were late, and now it looks like […]

How Many Questions Should You Ask?

A popular strategy in negotiation and sales training is to ask many questions. Most people believe that asking more questions will: Get you information that’s more accurate, recent, and relevant. Decrease the likelihood of making mistakes. Confirm your assumptions. Stop here because the impulse behind this advice is wrong. First, let me clarify that asking […]

Exclusive Look Behind the Scenes of a Negotiation

We want to bring you in the trenches and give you an insider view of a negotiation. This event really happened. We take you step-by-step through our thinking and process and cover: * The trigger that opens wallets * Two dangerous emotions and how to stop them * The one thing you must do before you […]

How to Avoid Fight, Flight, and Compromise in Negotiation

There are many misconceptions about the Camp System of Negotiation. Some people never read past the introduction in our books and mistakenly assume we teach one of these approaches: Adversarial or anti-collaborative. End the negotiation when either party says no. “Lose-lose” or “win-lose” because we don’t hold stock in “win-win.” If you believe that the […]

How to Ask Better Questions

Young children may not be the savviest negotiators, but we can learn a valuable lesson from them. A child’s curiosity in their early years compels them to ask questions about everything. These questions help them understand the world that takes shape around them. It’s a shame that we tend to lose that spark as adults. Why […]

Negotiate, or Cease to Exist

Camp Negotiation in the Development of a Marine Corps Scout Sniper Platoon Written by First Lieutenant James Camp, Co-Owner of Camp Negotiations I am a Marine Corps Scout Sniper Platoon Commander. The platoon I lead is a peculiar construct within an infantry battalion. The battalion is made up of over one thousand Marines and split […]

Dave DeSantis interview on The Sales Process Excellence Podcast

Dave DeSantis Interview Long-term sales success is about having prospects and customers trust you – and never betraying that trust. There are some obvious ways to do that… and others that aren’t so clear says Dave DeSantis, business partner, and coach at Camp Systems. Dave shares his insights into the typical prospect’s decision-making process – and how a salesperson […]

What the Dalai Lama and a Dinosaur Can Teach Us About Being Not Okay

The need to feel okay is one of the most basic motivators of human behavior. “Okay” largely encompasses feelings of safety, comfort and confidence, so we humans will do all kinds of things just to feel okay. We go get a fresh haircut right before a big job interview or presentation. We make the extra […]