Before authoring Never Split the Difference, one of the top negotiation books of all time, Chris Voss worked as the FBI’s lead negotiator for international kidnappings. On today’s podcast, Chris shares the secrets of professional persuasion and explains what agents can do to save deals that are in danger of falling through. Pat and Chris role-play several common real estate negotiations, including those for post-inspection repairs and last-minute hang-ups at settlement. Chris also outlines the communication pitfalls that cost agents referrals, how to manage client expectations, and more.

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Listen to today’s show and learn:

  • Chris’ brief bio [4:10]
  • The calibrated-questions concept [6:04]
  • The average agent’s biggest negotiation challenge [7:50]
  • Why it’s important to humanize the other party [17:55]
  • Chris’ thoughts on agents’ commissions [21:04]
  • How to negotiate repairs for buyers (role-play) [22:14]
  • Managing sellers’ expectations from day one [33:08]
  • The secret to gaining the upper hand in a negotiation [40:12]
  • How to tackle problems at settlement [43:11]
  • A script for resolving last-minute hang-ups at settlement (role-play) [50:20]
  • Chris’ donation to the Agent Success Toolbox [55:36]
  • How to break through your goals.
  • Plus so much more.

Chris Voss

Chris Voss is the CEO & Founder of the Black Swan Group Ltd and Author of Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. He has used his many years of experience in international crisis and high-stakes negotiations to develop a unique program and team that applies these globally proven techniques to the business world.

Prior to 2008, Chris was the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the FBI’s hostage negotiation representative for the National Security Council’s Hostage Working Group. During his government career, he also represented the U.S. Government at two (2) international conferences sponsored by the G-8 as an expert in kidnapping. Prior to becoming the FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator, Christopher served as the lead Crisis Negotiator for the New York City Division of the FBI. Christopher was a member of the New York City Joint Terrorist Task Force for 14 years.  He was the case agent on such cases as TERRSTOP (the Blind Sheikh Case – Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman), the TWA Flight 800 catastrophe and negotiated the surrender of the first hostage taker to give up in the Chase Manhattan bank robbery hostage taking.

During Chris’s 24 year tenure in the Bureau, he was trained in the art of negotiation by not only the FBI but Scotland Yard and Harvard Law School. He is also a recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement and the FBI Agents Association Award for Distinguished and Exemplary Service.

Chris has taught business negotiation in the MBA program as an adjunct professor at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.  He has taught business negotiation at Harvard University, guest lectured at The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, The IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland and The Goethe School of Business in Frankfurt, Germany. Since 2009 Christopher has also worked with Insite Security as their Managing Director of the Kidnapping Resolution Practice.

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