“Okay, girl. So, what’s your next move?”
I’d just spent the last 30 minutes or so pulling back the layers of a contract with a friend who was unsure of how best to go about some unfavorable terms. Knowing this was where I truly shone, together, we unpacked each of them, one by one.
After each point, we weighed the pros and cons, and I allowed room for silence to linger. While I was there to help, it was also important for me to give her time to think through the details, only now, through new eyes. To be honest, I was glad she called me for advice. Over the years, I’ve become THAT friend in my social circles; the one who’ll sit on the phone with you, helping you study the entire field to ensure you’re making the right play.
As a business owner, I’m more than familiar with this part of the process, and have developed foolproof strategies required to secure deals that sometimes take anywhere from days to months to close.
Those in my circle know how much I love the game of chess, and there’s no doubt in my mind that my years of consistent play have helped me to see opportunities where most simply don’t. Contracts can often feel like a giant puzzle where the pieces keep moving. But now, with years under my belt, I’ve been able to master ways to stay one, even several steps ahead while most people are still stuck on their last move.
For the life of me, I can’t recall who introduced me to it, but I was in the 5th grade when I first fell in love with the game. Already an avid athlete, I wanted to strengthen my mind in the same ways I’d been strengthening my body in the pool as a competitive swimmer. Whether I knew it or not, I was learning key skills that would soon allow me to become a proficient strategist and negotiator.
Many of you are familiar with my story—an unenthused student with a learning difference that led me to being a college dropout who eventually built a million dollar business from the ground up—and due to my unconventional introduction into the world of business, what was meant to be my weakness became my greatest strength.
Mentors can only take you so far, but once I was on negotiation calls, I had to lean on a toolkit packed with life lessons that were invaluable when sitting across from people waiting for me to slip up, or rather undervalue myself.
I have many thoughts about how to master your sales skills. I used to teach classes on the subject and it’s an interest I most likely will revisit soon. One question I often ask myself is: how can I continue to serve, yet upsell my existing customers and extend our working relationships beyond this moment? My ability to see around the bend is the reason I can easily flip a modest one-time 4-figure project into a 12-month 5-figure retainer or boldly ask a client to pay me a 6-figure fee in full.
But don’t get it twisted, negotiations aren’t just about financial gain, it’s about achieving a win-win agreement. Value is exchanged both ways. And I’m only able to think this clearly because I’ve sharpened these skills at the chess board.
The patience I needed to not hastily make moves that would cost me my king was the same mental muscle I used to stop and weigh all my short- and long-term options when handed a business deal that could cost me greatly if I wasn’t careful. I learned to pause.
The critical thinking and strategic foresight I needed to evaluate the entire board to identify the consequences of both my moves and my opponent’s allowed me to always stay a step ahead, and assess various outcomes to prevent avoidable setbacks and failures. I learned to probe.
The more I honed my adaptability and pattern recognition skills, the faster I was able to regulate my emotions to remain level-headed when making key decisions under pressure. I learned to plan.
When I combined, whether I had a minute or a month, I was able to see the forest from the trees, and own the board before my opponent ever had time to get comfortable.
I truly believe that success leaves clues, but they can only be discovered if you’re willing to look for them. If success is something you’re after, know that it can’t be rushed, and it definitely can’t be faked. We’ve all heard the saying, “You get what you negotiate,” so before you sign your name on that dotted line, pause, probe, and plan every possible outcome so YOU are always in control–-of the moves you make today, and for the inevitable wins that will come tomorrow.
So, how are you preparing yourself to step up to the negotiation table? If you’re ready to add some new skills to your toolkit, let’s chat.
A BIT ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Pauleanna Reid. I’m the founder and chief storyteller at WritersBlok where I lead an all-women of color team of celebrity ghostwriters. As a collective, we help industry leaders and doers who are shaping the future turn their personal stories into brand assets so they can stay relevant in a noisy world, communicate to their audience at scale, and turn any conversation into a meaningful and profitable lead. Clients truly trust me with their reputations and their legacies. In fact, when they want to speak up on a hot topic and shake the room, I’m the woman they call. Many of them have me on speed dial, why don’t you?