Planning in negotiation is a crucial element that we may often forget the importance of. Today’s guest—Paul Watts—believes planning is THE single most important element of a negotiation. He notes that 80% of success comes from extensive planning. In this episode of Negotiations Ninja, Paul and I talk about negotiation through the lens of a salesperson, the cost of inaction, and techniques to improve your negotiation skills.  Paul Watts is a Sales Performance Coach with Base Over Apex and host of the ‘Sales Reinvented’ podcast. His mission is to change the negative perception of salespeople and make selling a profession to be proud of. His goal is to help sales professionals be more effective to be able to live life on their own terms. Listen to this episode for a deep-dive into negotiation from the perspective of someone who’s been in sales for over 20 years. Outline of This Episode [3:19] Paul Watt’s background in sales and podcasting [4:51] Planning is the most important element of negotiation [7:36] Present the cost of inaction and the return on investment [11:11] The best way to improve your negotiation skills [14:37] A negotiation techniques Paul employs regularly [20:11] Role models and styles Paul embraces [21:51] What happens when a negotiation goes downhill [29:49] Paul advises to embrace a learning mindset Resources & People Mentioned Gary Vaynerchuk’s 4Ds Program  BOOK: Thinking, Fast and Slow Kwame Christian Patrick Tinney Dan Shapiro William Urey Connect with Paul Watts The Sales Reinvented Podcast Paul on LinkedIn Paul on Twitter Base Over Apex Connect With Mark Follow Negotiations Ninja on Twitter: @NegotiationPod Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Follow Negotiations Ninja on LinkedIn Connect on Instagram: @NegotiationPod Subscribe to Negotiations Ninja