147 Quotes by Chris Voss

No deal is better than a bad deal.

Finding and acting on Black Swans mandates a shift in your mindset.

No” is not failure. Used strategically it’s an answer that opens the path forward.

The Rule of Three is simply getting the other guy to agree to the same thing three times in the same conversation.

Though the intensity may differ from person to person, you can be sure that everyone you meet is driven by two primal urges: the need to feel safe and secure, and the need to feel in control. If you satisfy those drives, you’re in the door.

Every case is new. We must let what we know – our known knowns – guide us but not blind us to what we do not know; we must remain flexible and adaptable to any situation; we must always retain a beginner’s mind; and we must never overvalue our experience or undervalue the informational and emotional realities served up moment by moment in whatever situation we face.

Remember, never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn’t take something better. Once you’ve got flexibility in the forefront of your mind you come into a negotiation with a winning mindset.

But let me cut the list even further: it’s best to start with “what,” “how,” and sometimes “why.

The Rule of Three is simply getting the other guy to agree to the same thing three times in the same conversation. It’s tripling the strength of whatever dynamic you’re trying to drill into at the moment. In doing so, it uncovers problems before they happen. It’s really hard to repeatedly lie or fake conviction.