Negotiation is hard to practice without stakes. It’s like playing poker without money – no one cares, everyone makes careless moves, and you never really get any better at it. Real stakes make you sweat, think twice, and grow by pushing you out of your comfort zone—building resilience, improving decision-making, and learning effective negotiation tactics.
It’s the stakes that motivate you to grow, but those stakes don’t have to be money. A long time ago, on a group vacation, we played poker where the loser had to wash dishes for eight people. Now that was serious. No one wanted to scrub pots for two hours, so every hand mattered. The same goes for negotiation. You need something on the line to sharpen your skills.
The “moral” of that story? Stakes in negotiation can come in different forms, and you can use “lost cause” clients as practice. These are clients that show little to no potential of closing or the bad-fit leads that aren’t going anywhere. Treat them like your negotiation sandbox.
– Worst case? You lose a client you never really had.
– Best case? You discover a technique that works.
Stagnation feels safe, but in the world of rising prices and constant change, it’s really not. It means missed opportunities, falling behind competitors, and losing your edge. To survive, you need to grow or develop. That comes with risks, so make sure you risk the worst cases first.