The Deal Whisperers

“We’re glad you’re here. We need a tough negotiator.” I have heard that opening line a few times in my career and, frankly, I don’t k...

This weekend the men’s NCAA basketball championships semi-finals will feature an improbably entry, much to the delight of millions of fan...

I can’t remember the first time I heard someone say it, but I have heard it dozens of times since then: a bad deal is like a bad marriag...

One of the advantages of owning an Italian restaurant is that just about everyone who comes in wants Italian food. It would be an odd thin...

Yes, it’s that time of year when boys and girls all over the world anxiously await the arrival of that special person in the suit who will...

I’ll never forget the Thanksgiving week when I almost saved $9 million. It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, 15 years ago, and I wa...

I can’t find a book on how to blink. I went on Amazon and found a book called, “Blink.” It has nothing to do with blinking. Malcolm Gl...

I remember the first time I got a phone call from a salesperson asking to speak with “the lady of the house.” (Remember those days? When y...

One of the most important attributes a person needs to be successful in business is the ability to make a decision. One of the most im...

Derek Jeter can’t say no. At least, not the right way. During the ceremony at Yankee Stadium to retire his jersey number (2), Jeter’s ...

Imagine a company spending millions of dollars to research, develop and produce a valuable and well-respected product, then spending milli...

Last Friday night, my friend and his wife and decided to go out to dinner. He came downstairs in jeans and a t-shirt with plans to get...

I never expected a professional basketball player to be the inspiration for a lesson in client service. In business there’s an old ada...

Warren Beatty was in a quandary. At the Academy Awards ceremony last Sunday night Beatty, the Oscar-winning actor/director/producer, w...

Too often, sales people don’t know when to stop selling. There is an old adage for this (as there often is for practical advice): “If yo...

Sometimes the salesperson gets sold. It happens slowly, beginning with a “great meeting” with a senior executive at the client. This...

Years ago I heard a story about my grandfather, Henry Dieffenbach, and how he handled a dispute between my aunts, Helen and Eleanor. H...

My friend, Mike, called me several months ago for some advice. He was working on a potential $200 million outsourcing deal with a large ma...

“We decided to go with another vendor.” Ouch! Those dreaded words. To a sales executive they are like a punch in the gut. After all th...

The legendary comic actor W.C. Fields famously said, “Never work with children or animals.” But not because he didn’t like them; because t...

A young sales professional once said to me, “You could probably sell ice to Alaskans.” I said, “That might be true, but it could be ...

This past week I had the opportunity to hear a presentation by Charlie Houchin, who won a gold medal in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay wi...