Strategies for Maintaining Trust Throughout Negotiations

One bad conversation can stall a deal.  (Let's fix that.) Here's the trap even the best can fall into: ✅ You said, “Can I get 15 minutes?” ❌ They heard, “You’re just a name on my calendar.” ✅ You said, “Here’s our pricing page.” ❌ They heard, “You’d better be ready to commit.” ✅ You said, “Do you have any questions?” ❌ They heard, “I’m done talking, it's your turn to buy.” In client development, tone is strategy. And the difference between pressure and partnership? Just a few words. Because the real challenge isn’t getting time  with a client. It’s making that time count. Here are 12 proven phrases to build trust  (without sounding like a sales rep): 1. “How have things been going with [X]?” → Feels personal, not transactional. 2. “What’s your thinking around [this topic] these days?” → Opens a door, not a pitch. 3. “What would success look like if everything went right?” → Focuses on their goals, not gaps. 4. “What’s one thing you’d love to improve in 90 days?” → Specific, hopeful, and actionable. 5. “What feels risky or fuzzy about this?” → Makes doubt safe to share. 6. “Want to sketch some options together?” → Co-creates instead of prescribes. 7. “Want me to mock up a few paths forward?” → Shows flexibility, not a fixed pitch. 8. “Want to hear how others tackled this?” → Adds value, zero pressure. 9. “What would need to shift to make this a priority?” → Respects their timeline, invites partnership. 10. “Would a custom version be more helpful?” → Tailors the next step to them. 11. “Great point, can we unpack that together?” → Builds trust through collaboration. 12. “What’s the best way I can support you right now?” → Puts their needs first, signals partnership. These phrases do more than sound better. They feel better. Because they reflect how great BD actually works: 👉 With empathy 👉 With curiosity 👉 With clients, not at them Try one this week. It could turn a stalled deal into a deep conversation. Which one will you lead with? 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

When I'm negotiating, I tend to AGREE with the other side. Sounds counter-intuitive. But it's enabled me to close 7-figure settlements. Most lawyers think negotiations are about being tough, standing your ground, and not giving an inch. I take the opposite approach: tactical empathy. Here's how it works. When opposing counsel says something like, "That's a ridiculous settlement demand. We can never possibly pay that much," I don't fight back. Instead, I validate them: "I can see why you would say that. I'm sorry for that. What can I do to come up with an offer that makes sense for you? My client is unfortunately stuck here." Their reaction? Complete confusion. They're prepared for a fight. They've got their counterarguments lined up. But when I validate their feelings instead, their entire script falls apart. The best part? They start giving me information I can use to negotiate against them. When faced with validation instead of opposition, lawyers suddenly start explaining their real constraints, their client's actual position, and sometimes even what number they might actually be able to get approved. All because I didn't argue. I've found this approach works especially well on lawyers because they don't even know what's happening. They're so used to adversarial negotiations that genuine validation short-circuits their usual approach. The key elements: • Validate their emotions • Acknowledge their position • Ask questions instead of making demands • Keep validating even when they try to be difficult This isn't just about being nice – it's strategic. By removing the confrontation, you force them to either engage constructively or look unreasonable. Next time you're in a difficult negotiation, try validation instead of opposition. It feels counterintuitive, but the results speak for themselves. After all, the goal isn't to win the argument – it's to get what your client needs.

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲. We once had to shut down four city blocks in downtown Phoenix for a private Macklemore concert. On the surface, it sounds like logistics. In reality, it was about trust. It took a month meeting with city departments, knocking on doors, and listening to city employees who mostly wanted to help the public, get a paycheck and benefits, plus not lose their job. Each had their own concerns: safety, traffic, liability or what would their boss do to them. Instead of pushing my agenda, I focused on their pain points and showed that I understood what mattered to them.  After the month of planning, we started at 2:15 the morning of the concert, to set up - they would not let us close the roads, then I convinced them it was okay, after the bars closed. That’s how you move big, complicated projects forward. Not with pressure. Not with shortcuts, instead - by giving people confidence that you see them, hear them, and will protect their interests (if nothing else, that they won’t get fired, their kids will be okay and life will be good). The principle is simple. 𝐈𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. Whether you’re closing a deal, running a campaign, or trying to get four blocks of a city to shut down, the foundation is the same: trust built through listening. What’s one way you’ve built trust in a tough negotiation? #Trust #Negotiation #DealMaking #TILTTheRoom #MediaLaw #Macklemore Christopher Voss Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A. Alexandra Carter Dr. Robert Cialdini Scott Tillema