Most negotiations don’t fail because people lack training.

They fail because the negotiation strategy is flawed.

I help leaders and organizations create measurable economic value in negotiations by shifting focus from tactics to structure, value creation, and trust.

Through the SMARTnership™ and NegoEconomics™ frameworks, organizations typically unlock up to 42% additional value in commercial negotiations—without damaging relationships or increasing risk.

What I Do Differently

I founded The SMARTnership™ Negotiation Organization to move negotiations away from confrontation and toward collaboration that delivers measurable results.

Our award-winning model, NegoEconomics™, helps organizations uncover value that traditional negotiations miss—often up to 42% additional value by redesigning how deals are structured, not just how prices are argued.

And yes—those results are guaranteed.

⸻

Why Organizations Trust SMARTnership™
	•	World’s most awarded negotiation methodology 
               (12+ international awards)
	•	Ranked #2 negotiation workshop globally by Global 
               Gurus
	•	Used by organizations, leaders, and governments in 
               50+ countries
	•	Delivered through a global network of certified 
               partners across continents

We replace outdated tactics with trust, transparency, and value creation—and the outcomes speak for themselves.

⸻

My Background
	•	Former CEO of a public technology company
	•	Doctorate focused on negotiation, artificial   
               intelligence, and trust
	•	Author of 27 books, published in 38 countries
	•	Executive MBA faculty and guest professor 
               worldwide
	•	Judge at international negotiation finals
	•	Ranked Top 2 Negotiation Expert globally by Global 
               Gurus

⸻

What Actually Motivates Me

Titles and trophies are not the point.

What drives me is helping people and organizations achieve more together—not at the expense of others, but with them.

That’s the real power of SMARTnership™.

⸻

If you want negotiations built on trust, measurable value, and outcomes that last, let’s connect.

Keld Jensen

In Houston this week, along with Daniel Woltman, CAE, MSM. We’re meeting with clients and I discovered a horse at the Post Oak Hotel. I wanted to share this with Sally Guyer and Craig Conte, who I know will enjoy it 😅

SMARTnership Negotiation #negotiation #contract

Dr. Keld Jensen (DBA)

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Stop Reading Contracts. Start Re-Designing Deals.

Are you still spending days manually combing through 35-page contracts to find risk and leverage? If so, you might be leaving up to 42% of a deal's potential value on the table.

I’ve spent 30+ years in commercial negotiations, and I can tell you: the game has changed. My research team and I have been focused on how AI fundamentally shifts the landscape from "positional" haggling to what I call NegoEconomics.

In this clip, I demonstrate how we use AI and specific prompt engineering to do what used to take days in just 5 to 10 minutes. (no specific software or contract management tool)

How I'm using AI to optimize contracts:

✅Speed & Structure: Scanning hundreds of pages to produce a structured SMARTnership analysis in seconds.

✅Identifying Variables: Extracting nearly 100 negotiation variables—financial, operational, and strategic—that are often invisible to the human eye.

✅Asymmetric Value: Finding variables that cost one party very little but provide massive value to the other, allowing us to expand the pie rather than just slice it.

✅From Defense to Design: Shifting the conversation from "protecting margins" to "jointly managing risk" through a collaborative lens.

Forget the 'theater' in negotiations. The future of negotiation isn't about tactics or reading body language—it's about information and value creation. 

👇 Watch the clip below to see my AI-driven "Scorecard" and "Variable Register" in action. I apologize, that's 10:48 minutes of being a negotiation/contract nerd.

I'd love to hear your thoughts: How are you currently leveraging AI in your negotiation/contract workflows?

Do you want a copy of the documents created in this video? Read my article on Thursday, March 19th, published right here. 

#Negotiation #AI #SMARTnership #NegoEconomics #ContractOptimization #FutureOfNegotiation #ValueCreation World Commerce & Contracting Tim Cummins Sally Guyer #contractmanagement #legal #contract #ai Tiffany Kemp Gražvydas Jukna Moïse NOUBISSI Tine Anneberg Juan Manuel García P. Kevin Tuinte Jason Myrowitz

This Thursday, Tim Cummins and I are hosting Thomas Erikson in The Negotiation Room.

Thomas is the bestselling author of 'Surrounded by Idiots' and 'Surrounded by Narcissists',  and he has helped millions of people better understand difficult behavior and communication styles.

Together, we’ll discuss narcissistic and idiotic behavior in negotiation — because sometimes the biggest challenge is not the deal, but the behavior across the table.

If you have ever met a narcissistic behavior at the negotiation table or expect to, you want to be on this webinar. 

📆19 March
🕒08:00 am PST | 3:00 pm BST | 4:00 pm CET | 

Attending is free but requires registration; https://lnkd.in/gHzGmuzE

#Negotiation #Leadership #Communication #WorldCC #SMARTnership #ThomasErikson World Commerce & Contracting BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club Jurga Bendikaite-Ursavas SMARTnership Negotiation Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz Tiffany Kemp

🛑 Stop Negotiating Like It’s 1999.

I just audited a $400M contract using a proprietary AI prompt architecture.

In less than 10 minutes, the AI found what a team of human experts usually misses: 100+ hidden negotiation variables and an invisible potential 42% value gap.

If you are still relying on "gut feeling" and "positional bargaining," you aren't just losing time—you are hemorrhaging value.

In my latest article, I pull back the curtain on:
✅ How NegoEconomics is replacing zero-sum haggling.
✅ Why your 35-page contract is actually a Value-Generation Map.
✅ The 10-minute audit that should terrify every unprepared negotiator.

The era of the "haggler" is over. The era of the Value Architect has begun.

👇 Read the full breakdown and watch the audit in action here:

#Negotiation #AI #SMARTnership #NegoEconomics #DrKeldJensen #FutureOfBusiness World Commerce & Contracting BMI Executive Institute UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Tiffany Kemp Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz  Moïse NOUBISSI Tarek Amine Inam Jan

Most negotiators are walking into the room blind. They rely on "gut feeling," decades of experience, and a stack of legal markups. But while they are 

Open article: I Used AI to Audit a $400M Deal. What I Found in 10 Minutes Should Terrify Every Negotiator in the World. by Dr. Keld Jensen (DBA) • 3 min read

I Used AI to Audit a $400M Deal. What I Found in 10 Minutes Should Terrify Every Negotiator in the World.

Who says the toughest negotiator leaves with the most value?

For years, business culture rewarded the loudest voice.
The hardest anchor.
The last-minute squeeze.
But what if that model is financially outdated?

We analyzed 314 negotiators across industries and countries.

The data showed something clear:
Trust explains approximately 13.5% of the variance in achieving mutually beneficial agreements.
Not charisma.
Not aggression.
Not demographics.

Trust.

Higher trust correlated with:
• Greater likelihood of mutual gains and NegoEconomics (google it)
• Better communication quality
• Higher satisfaction with negotiated results

This isn’t about being soft.
It’s about being economically smart.

In complex commercial negotiations, transparency and structured trust creation outperform intimidation.

If you negotiate contracts, partnerships, procurement agreements, M&A — this research matters.

Download the full peer-reviewed research paper and decide for yourself whether “toughest” still wins: https://lnkd.in/g3bQbYmy

#negotiation SMARTnership Negotiation AAU Executive - MBA and HD at Aalborg University BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute Global Gurus Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz Tiffany Kemp Moïse NOUBISSI Daniel Woltman, CAE, MSM Sally Guyer Tim Cummins

Author

The Material Source LP

Partner

James Martin & Co. / Headstrong

New client acquisition and client relationship management: Management and digital consulting services

Business Development Manager

Deloitte

Mange sales operations for new client acquisition and on-going client relationships: IT implementation services.

Branch Sales Manager: DRT Systems

Territory Sales Manager

Burroughs Corporation

Sales Marketing Manager

With over 45 years of experience in business development, IT & and management consulting, and sales, I am passionate about helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals through effective negotiation. My latest book, “33 Ways Not to Screw Up Negotiating", published by Networlding Publishing, offers practical and actionable advice on how to negotiate with integrity, confidence, and charisma.

As a partner at The Material Source LP, I provide consulting services to clients in various industries, such as fashion, filtration, healthcare, science, and transportation. I specialize in sourcing and providing fabrics and finished soft goods that meet the highest standards of quality, sustainability, and innovation.

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