Author Archives: Ken Trent
Contribution Profit: The Soft Bottom Line That Pays You
Contribution profit dollars, not revenue or margin percent, tell you whether a SKU or vendor [...]
That’s Right: The Signal You Found the Real Need
A polite yes is fragile. When a counterpart says that's right, you have named the [...]
Calm and Assertive: How Presence Shapes Negotiation Outcomes
Staying calm and assertive helps you set the tone and extract more value in business [...]
Four Resources: Know What a Deal Is Costing You
Time, energy, money, and emotional investment are the four resources every negotiation spends. Budget all [...]
Contribution Profit: The Soft Bottom Line
Contribution profit is the soft bottom line: the dollars a product or relationship contributes after [...]
What’s Your Leverage in This Deal Right Now?
Structural leverage is the hand you are dealt. Situational leverage is the power you earn [...]
Build Leverage Before You Sit Down
Build leverage before the meeting on four levers: product, timing, relationships, and alternatives.
That’s Right: The Signal You Are Working the Real Deal
That's right means you named the real need. You're right is often just a way [...]
Calm and Assertive: Set the Temperature of the Room
Calm is self-control. Assertive is earned confidence. Prep is what makes both hold at the [...]
The 5 Whys: Negotiate the Root Cause, Not the Symptom
A fill rate miss is a symptom. Use the 5 Whys to reach the real [...]