I’m watching a television interview (The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch) where Donald Trump is talking about why he’s such a great negotiator. I have to laugh at how he likes to mock those who tell him that they are great negotiators. What’s ironic is that he is really mocking himself while making fun of others.
The first rule of negotiating is to never brag about your skills when you do you’re telling everyone to be careful when negotiating with you. This is one of the things that made Sam Walton so effective in the early days of setting up Wal-Mart. Sam came across as a soft-spoken person and was able to get the people he was dealing with to lower their guard. Donald Trump, on the other hand, does everything he can to inform others of his excellence in negotiating. Now, I’m not going to knock Donald Trump. He’s built a personal franchise that, in a business sense, is successful. However, for me, I will always choose the anti-Donald Trump approach and behave more like Sam Walton.
