You’ve been taught that YES means you won. Chris Voss says it’s usually the moment you get played.
The former lead FBI international kidnapping negotiator built a career proving the opposite of what most of us believe about persuasion. NO isn’t rejection. It’s the moment the real conversation starts. YES, more often than not, is a counterfeit answer people give just to get you off the phone.
Voss is the founder of The Black Swan Group and the author of Never Split the Difference, and in this conversation he breaks down the exact language that turns a stuck negotiation into a done deal. You’ll hear the calibrated questions he used to save hostages, and the same questions people are now using in boardrooms and car dealerships.
He also gets specific. What to say when someone dismisses your price. How to ask for an upgrade without ever demanding one. Why the words you choose in the first nine minutes of any conversation decide how the rest of it goes.
This one will change how you hear the word NO for the rest of your life.
Chris’ Books:
Empathy and Understanding In Business
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
