Know that you have other choices

Texas billionaire Nelson Bunker Hunt is often quoted as saying, “There is always another deal around the corner.”
One reason Bunker made so many good deals during his life is that he was always willing to walk away from a deal if it wasn’t right. He was good at setting his limits and then sticking to them. Bunker’s slogan must be part of your core beliefs. Keep repeating his quote until it becomes a part of your belief system:
“There is always another deal around the corner.” Poor negotiators tend to attach themselves to the notion that they must close every negotiation with a purchase or sale. Good negotiators, on the other hand, often walk away. Walking away from a bad deal is just as important — maybe more important — than closing a good deal. (
In fact, you often have two incentives to walk away from a bad deal:

• You aren’t stuck with the headache, financial stress, or other difficulties associated with the bad deal.
• One of your competitors will end up with the job, while you are off chasing the good job, the profitable job, the job with the clients who are easy to work with.

Whether the object of your affection is a stock, a piece of real estate, or a potential lover, you must have in your heart and in your mind that you are not stuck. The biggest prison is the one you build around your mind if you decide you don’t have choices.

“There is always another deal around the corner.” Make this phrase your mantra. Repeat it until it becomes part of your core. Own it. This truth can influence your entire life and bring positive results to all your future negotiations. In the entertainment industry, this mantra holds especially true. Writers and actors deal with constant rejection. I profess this mantra to my writer clients before they attend a pitch meeting to sell an idea. The chance of them selling a pitch the first time they walk into a room is remote, especially for first-time writers, because many other writers are always waiting to pitch their take on the same idea. Another deal is always waiting for you somewhere. It just may take some time to find it. Start making this your mantra today. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of an emotional situation to convince yourself that you have other choices.

The truth of this mantra can only be grasped in the crisp light of a clear and uncluttered day — not in the depths of a specific problem. Remember the scene before the intermission in Gone with the Wind where Scarlett O’Hara stands at the foot of her war-ravaged plantation, Tara, looking into the sunset? Nothing, not even the Civil War, deters Scarlett from knowing that she has other choices. She vows to rebuild her plantation and her life despite the obstacles ahead. Think of the negotiation in a similar fashion. Know that you have other choices and opportunities elsewhere.