How the rich negotiate, sign and say no.

Read a real page first. Chapter 11, After the number, shut up

Chapter 11 · After the number, shut up
Say your number, then be quiet. Whoever talks next pays.

You can lose your money in the four seconds after you say your price.

You say the number and the other side goes quiet. The silence gets heavy and you cannot stand it, so you start talking. "Of course it is flexible." "I could do a little less." "What would work for you?" You negotiate against yourself while the other side watches, like a man watching someone else pay his bill.

A man once came to sell me a warehouse next to one of my terminals. He named his price, and I said nothing because I was still reading his papers. In ninety seconds he lowered the price twice without a word from me. I bought it at the third price and thanked him sincerely.

Silence is the cheapest weapon in the world, and almost nobody uses it. Your silence tells the other side that you are comfortable, that you have time and that you have other options. It says all that for you even when none of it is true.

Say your number and then count to ten in your head, or to twenty, as long as it takes. Look at them kindly and drink your water. The next person who speaks gives something away, and you want that person to be them.

Tonight, do this: Practice in front of a mirror, or with someone you trust. Say your price and hold the silence for fifteen seconds. It will feel like a year. Repeat it until it feels like fifteen seconds.

See the page as printed →