Ed Brodow

Let’s Make a Deal

Audiences of all ages and competencies relate to this topic because in today’s challenging business climate, the ability to negotiate can make the difference between success and failure. That’s why Ed Brodow’s entertaining and informative negotiation keynote is always SRO: Standing Room Only. His message is that you can overcome the current economic malaise and outpace your competition by utilizing core negotiation strategies, such as aiming high, challenging negative assumptions, and improving listening skills. Clients love how Ed relates his talk to their unique issues. Ed’s high energy, humorous anecdotes, and useful ideas will create an upbeat rhythm for your meeting or convention.

Sales Negotiation: More Is Better

When it comes to the selling price for your product or service, more is definitely better. In fact, closing the sale means nothing if the deal is not profitable. Ed Brodow draws on his sales negotiation experience to show your sales force how to create satisfied customers at higher prices. According to Ed, the most satisfied customers are the ones who pay top dollar because they appreciate the value of their investment. Successful sales negotiators exude confidence, focus on perceived value, and aren’t afraid to say “no.” Your sales force will stop discounting after they hear Ed’s entertaining, real-life stories about how to turn customer price objections into value-based sales. The mantra for the rest of your sales meeting will be “More Is Better!”

The Human’s Guide to Win-Win Negotiating

Chimpanzees are hostile. Bonobos make love. Which are you? Using the unusual metaphor of our closest relations, primates, Ed Brodow’s entertaining program proves that success happens when you treat other people as partners. The differing behaviors of chimps (adversarial) and bonobos (cooperative) remind us that win-win collaboration works best. Trust develops when you acknowledge the other side’s perspective and explore options for mutual satisfaction. According to Ed’s bestselling book, Negotiation Boot Camp: “If both sides feel satisfied, everything is possible.” Your audience will love it when Ed challenges them to decide: “Are you a chimp or are you a bonobo?”

Critical Thinking

When more than 400 senior HR professionals were asked to name the most important skill their employees will need in the next five years, critical thinking ranked the highest. In this exciting new keynote, negotiation expert Ed Brodow explains how your organization can import critical thinking to improve all areas of the organization. Benefits of critical thinking: it helps maintain effective leadership, promotes creativity, improves team performance, and enables people of diverse backgrounds to work together. Critical thinking forces managers and employees to look at a situation and weigh all possible solutions before coming up with a final answer.

Optimism Is Everything

In this inspirational keynote, Ed Brodow draws on time-tested principles of negotiation to prove that the only guaranteed way to be successful is to expect to succeed. “Successful negotiators are optimists,” he wrote in his bestselling book, Negotiation Boot Camp. For two decades, Ed’s Fortune 500 clients have learned the five pillars of optimism: aiming high, maintaining Negotiation Consciousness, exuding the Confidence Mystique, carrying on an affectionate inner dialogue, and being willing to walk away. Companies that make it to the top are led by optimists who expect to out-do the competition and grow the business in spite of economic setbacks and other factors that have nothing to do with getting the job done. But optimism is an individual responsibility. You have to negotiate with yourself. Nobody will do it for you. “Perpetual optimism,” said Colin Powell, “is a force multiplier.”

Life Balance

Ed Brodow debunks the myths of success as he shows your audience how to negotiate a more personally fulfilling life. Based on his critically acclaimed book, Beating the Success Trap, Ed argues that balancing the competing aspects of your life is more important than money, fame, status, and power. With insight, humor, and self-revelation, he challenges our toxic definition of success: Instead of envying people who have more money or fame, create a balanced lifestyle that fits your own temperament and preferences. In this increasingly complicated world, success is the result of taking risks, maintaining a sense of balance, and appreciating the contribution you make to others. Your audience will walk away feeling more excited about their jobs and their lives.

Testimonials

“Outstanding opening keynote—you were rated the best out of our eight speakers. Your win-win negotiation strategy was just what we needed to hear.”
– Turnaround Management Association

“Ed received the highest review of all our outside speakers, which have been many.”
– American AgCredit

“Ed Brodow was the ideal choice for our keynote speaker. He was magnetic, charismatic, and captured the attention of everyone. In these days of banks and bailouts the ability to negotiate is paramount and no one understands it all better than Ed.”
– Golf Course Superintendents Association

“Ed repeatedly receives the highest evaluations.”
– Seagate Technology

“A huge success which far exceeded expectations. The word ‘customization’ does not do justice to the end product Ed delivered.”
– The Hartford Insurance

“The feedback from our managers was that the concepts and approaches could be immediately applied to their jobs.”
– National Semiconductor

“I can tell you, it is not easy to find such a good speaker as Ed! He was fantastic and, from zero to ten, audience gave him 9.7. Negotiation speakers from Harvard Business School we had hired in the past never got such a grade.”
– Machado Corporate Brazil