Negotiations Ninja Podcast

What have Alex Yakubovich and Stan Garber learned from founding and successfully exiting their own companies? Being customer-obsessed is the key to success. It’s the mindset they’re embracing in their newest venture, Levelpath. Alex and Stan share how being customer-obsessed has shaped their past successes and their current project in this episode of Negotiations Ninja.

• [2:35] Learn more about Alex Yakubovich and Stan Garber
• [4:10] Why being customer-obsessed works for them
• [7:02] Don’t fake caring about your customers
• [12:22] Learn more about their latest venture: Levelpath
• [21:49] Their vision for the future of Levelpath
• [25:12] What should the future of procurement look like?

• Levelpath

• Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
• Connect with Stan on LinkedIn

• Follow Negotiations Ninja on Twitter: @NegotiationPod
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Follow Negotiations Ninja on LinkedIn
• Connect on Instagram: @NegotiationPod

Subscribe to Negotiations Ninja

How do you ask for more money the right way? What phrases should you avoid in salary negotiations? How do you prove you’re “worth” what you’re asking for? How do you overcome imposter syndrome and act with confidence and decisiveness? Fotini Iconomopoulos breaks down the answers to these questions and simplifies the process so that anyone can negotiate their salary with ease. Don’t miss what she says in this episode of Negotiations Ninja!

How do you ask for more money the right way? What phrases should you avoid in salary negotiations? How do you prove you’re “worth” what you’re asking for? How do you overcome imposter syndrome and act with confidence and decisiveness? Fotini Iconomopoulos breaks down the answers to these questions and simplifies the process so that anyone can negotiate their salary with ease. Don’t miss what she says in this episode of Negotiations Ninja!

• [1:47] Learn more about Fotini Iconomopoulos
• [2:39] What holds people back from negotiating?
• [6:19] How to ask for more money the right way
• [12:52] It’s time to get curious in conversations
• [16:31] Strategies to overcome your nerves
• [21:38] How to “Say Less, Get More”
• [24:33] Learn more about Fotini Iconomopoulos

• Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement
• The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
• Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are
• Emotion and the Art of Negotiation

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on Twitter

• Follow Negotiations Ninja on Twitter: @NegotiationPod
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Follow Negotiations Ninja on LinkedIn
• Connect on Instagram: @NegotiationPod

Subscribe to Negotiations Ninja

In this Throwback, we return to the conversation with John Barrows about why he wrote his children's book, "I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up!" He wrote the book to teach kids that sales is a legitimate profession to be proud of. The book is educational and 100% of the profits go to charity. Listen to learn what other purposes John hopes his book serves (and what he plans to write next)!

I can’t say “Brexit” without choking down laughter. But many people are passionate about Brexit, and I don’t mean to make light of it. But what’s amusing from an outside perspective? How would Brexit have been negotiated better? Keld Jensen returns to the Negotiations Ninja podcast to apply his expertise to another contract negotiation that would have benefitted from his input.

• [2:42] Was Brexit an amazing deal?
• [4:54] What was negotiated well?
• [7:03] Political negotiation vs. business negotiation
• [8:26] Mistake #1: The wrong people at the table
• [10:34] Mistake #2: Too many cooks in the kitchen
• [13:22] Mistake #3: No concrete negotiation strategy
• [17:21] What can other countries learn from this?
• [19:42] How to apply this to the business landscape
• [21:58] Ask the counterparty questions—then listen
• [23:52] Life or Death listening by Dan Oblinger

• Life or Death Listening by Dan Oblinger
• The Trust Factor: Negotiating in SMARTnership by Keld Jensen
• Honest Negotiation by Keld Jensen
• Episode #199 with Mihai Isman

• Keld’s Website
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Keld’s YouTube Channel

• Follow Negotiations Ninja on Twitter: @NegotiationPod
• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Follow Negotiations Ninja on LinkedIn
• Connect on Instagram: @NegotiationPod

Subscribe to Negotiations Ninja

Mark Lowther was a SWAT Crisis/Hostage Negotiator and is currently an international instructor for negotiation. He spent time in Ukraine in 2022, teaching mediation, dispute resolution, and hostage negotiation techniques. He worked with mostly civilians, teaching them how to engage in dialogue to avoid escalating to disputes.

In this throwback episode of Negotiations Ninja, Mark gave us a firsthand look at what was happening in the war zone. As the war between Russia and Ukraine still wages, we can’t forget about the lives that continue to be impacted.