Impact Negotiation Group

Impact Negotiation Group supports clients with their commercial challenges. We work closely together with our clients by providing support in negotiations, improving and integrating negotiation processes, and offering specialized negotiation training. 

Our experience covers a variety of industries.
✅ 	Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
✅ 	Pharmaceutical
✅ 	Private Equity
✅ 	IT Services

Additionally, we work across various functional areas, such as:
✅ 	Sales and Business Development
✅ 	Procurement
✅ 	Human Resources (focusing on employee relations)
✅ 	Market Access

For more information visit: www.impactnegotiationgroup.com or directly book a call with me with the link above.

Founding Partner & Negotiation Consultant

NPM Capital

As Manager of Procurement Services I:
➢ Helped NPM Capital participations companies increase their commercial results
➢ Improving the ROI for NPM Capital
➢ Advisory: support NPM Participations with strategic negotiations (both sales & procurement).
➢ Buying optimization: identifying and executing joint procurement projects.
➢ Establishing networks between (ex) participations functions for knowledge sharing.
➢ Establishing a database for best practices & setting up gross group learning and developing initiatives.

Manager NPM Procurement Services

The Gap Partnership

As Senior Consultant & Client Director I helped my clients in different industries (Retail, Pharma, FMCG and Oil & Gas) with their commercial challenges by supporting all aspects of the negotiation process. My role focused on realizing the optimal result of any commercial challenge:
➢ Strategy Development.
➢ Tactical Planning.
➢ Communication Planning.
➢ Risk identification and mitigation.
➢ Negotiation Coaching.
➢ Business Development.
➢ Key Account Management.

Senior Consultant & Client Director

As Consultant & Client Director, I helped my clients with:
➢ Negotiation consultancy (tactical and strategic).
➢ Negotiation coaching.
➢ Workshops on negotiation, aimed at long-term behavioural change.
➢ Business Development.
➢ Key Account Management.

Consultant & Client Director

Shell

As Procurement Manager, I was responsible for the Capex and Opex spend for the BeNeLux Retail Network (500+ retail stations), annual spend 100+mln EUR. I provided: 
➢ Contract management (EPCM & FMCG contracts).
➢ Tender development & execution.
➢ Claim management.
➢ Continuous improvement.
➢ Change management.
➢ Negotiations.

Procurement Manager Retail Networks

As Contract Engineer Wells, I was responsible for the commercial management of major well contracts of the Majnoon Oil Field (Basrah, Iraq, annual spend of 150mln USD). I provided:
➢ Tender development and execution.
➢ Claim management.
➢ Contract management (EPC and Service contracts).
➢ Contract & commercial negotiations.
➢ Relationship management with internal and external (government) stakeholders.
➢ Management over a team of 6 Iraqi graduates, training them in procurement.

Contract Engineer Wells

I worked on the ultra fast track FCP Gas Project for the Majnoon Oil Field, Iraq, responsible for CAPEX spend of 80mln USD. I provided:
➢ Project Management.
➢ Contract management and ensuring proper contract execution.
➢ Commercial negotiations.
➢ Risk identification and control.
➢ EPCM contractor management and managing the contractors' procurement departments.

Contract Engineer- Projects (Majnoon Iraq Gas)

➢ Responsible for the procurement and contract management of four capital projects at the Pernis Refinery with a combined spend of US$200 plus million.

Contract and Procurement Lead

➢ Responsible for C&P Management Reporting and driving continuous improvements.

C&P Upstream International Reporting Analyst

LifeTunes

➢ Operations manager for the startup LifeTunes.

Operations Manager (start-up)

Early on in my career I was tasked with negotiating a contract worth over 200 million dollars. 😮

I had no formal training in negotiation and felt ill prepared for the challenge😟. Over a period of 9 months (and some notable moments such as a the other negotiator dropping his pants and showing me his backside🙈) the deal concluded with us realizing a cost saving of 45%.

That experience has been lifechanging💡, and for the past 7 years I have dedicated my career to helping others maximize their deals. Leading to me co-founding Impact Negotiation Group in 2022. 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨:
We support organisations with their critical negotiations through thorough preparation, planning, and execution. Our approach empowers you to proactively take control and achieve the best possible results.
We radically challenge what our clients think negotiation is all about. 97% of negotiation work does not take place at the table, in front of the other party. It’s all in the preparation and strategy. 

Having trained more than 5.500 people, after 40h of your time over a 12 month period, we will give you a competitive advantage in your negotiations.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬:

Our consulting business generates 65% of our revenue, with every partner actively engaged in negotiations daily. We work across various industries, including FMCG, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, private equity, professional services, IT services, labor relations, and retail. This broad exposure has equipped us with the insight to distinguish between theoretical concepts and practical applications.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 
✅Annually, we support over $1 billion in negotiation value. Since our start, we have worked with 50 clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to scale-ups, providing advice on every imaginable negotiation scenario. The results - A staggering 17.3x return on investment. 🚀

✅We train commercial professionals at Fortune 500 companies to scale-ups and our intensive training program have resulted in a recorded 14.9X return on investment within the first 12months!🚀

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐲:

"Enriching, instructive, and immediately applicable insights." - Lily Libeert, Commercial Director

"An excellent program that perfectly balances theory and practice, infused with humor." - Mike Franke, Sales Manager, VodafoneZiggo

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? 
Send me a LinkedIn DM and let’s explore if we’re a fit on a 15min call.📲

Marc Saris

The Biggest Threat to IT Service Companies In 2026

Hourly billing.

We see that many of our clients active in the IT service still heavily rely on hourly billing. Why? Because that’s what they have been doing since the 90s. 
However: Hourly-based models are biggest commercial risk for IT service providers going into 2026. 

Why?

❌ AI is compressing delivery times: the same work is delivered in a fraction of the time. If you get paid by the hour you will see your revenue evaporate. 
❌ Procurement is more price focused then ever: AI is helping them benchmark quicker pushing downward on rates.
❌ Hourly fees commoditize your expertise: it is difficult to argue why your senior developer should be 30% more expensive than the competitors.
❌ Competitors are already shifting to value-based or outcome-based models: don’t be left behind.

The companies that don’t evolve their pricing strategy will see revenue evaporate cost rise and margins erode. Those that do will separate themselves from the pack.

At Impact, the past two years we’ve engaged in a number of projects working with IT service and software development companies to help them:
✔ Transition away from hourly-based pricing to value based pricing
 ✔ Adapt their negotiation approach to focus on value based deals 
 ✔ Strengthen their negotiation capability with clients and procurement
 ✔ Confidently price based on value, outcomes, and strategic impact,  not time

The key isn’t “just changing pricing.”

The real unlock is understanding the full commercial process and the negotiations that support it.

Pricing is only as strong as your ability to defend it, position it, and get buy-in from stakeholders.

If you’re an IT service leader still wrestling with how to make this shift, or you know your team is too dependent on hourly billing, 2025 is the last safe window to fix it.

If you want to explore what this transition could look like for your company, send me a message.

The companies preparing now will dominate in 2026. The ones sticking to old models… won’t.

Negotiation Strategy Consultant │ Co‑Founder @ Impact Negotiation Group │ €1.77B+ in Deals Advised │ Sales & Procurement Negotiator │ Trained over 1,200+ Commercial Professionals

Negotiations in 2026: The Shift No One’s Talking About ⚠️ 

I’ll never forget my first big negotiation at Shell.
Excited. Nervous. A little terrified.
Sitting across from a seasoned account manager, I felt every emotion at once.

Then came the training that changed everything.
It showed me the behaviours behind great deals: what to say, when to act, when to stay silent.
That was the start for a decade-long career in negotiation.

For years, those skills were enough.
But in 2026? They’re not anymore.

Negotiations Have Changed ⚠️ 

That old picture of two people in a room, trading proposals until they shake hands…
 🕰️  It’s quickly fading from reality.

Now:
✅ Deals unfold across email threads, Teams chats, shared docs, WhatsApps
✅ A new generation of leaders is more comfortable typing than talking.
✅ Negotiation isn’t a snap shot moment, it has become a process across channels, people, and time.

And that changes everything. ➡️ The Skill Shift

Reading the room still matters.

But it’s not enough. ⚠️ 

The leaders who win in 2026 know how to:
 ✅ Manage stakeholders across multiple touchpoints
 ✅ Design the deal before the first proposal lands
 ✅ Sequence interactions according to a plan
 ✅ Steer the process, not just the conversation
 ✅ Align internally and externally long before proposals hit the table

This isn’t optional.
It’s the new reality!

Why It Matters
If your organization still treats negotiation as something that happens in the meeting… you’re leaving money on the table.

What you need:
👉 Clear negotiation processes
👉 A deal architecture framework
👉 Teams trained in end-to-end negotiation management

That’s what we’ve been building at Impact Negotiation Group since day one  helping commercial teams capture more value by mastering what happens before, during, and after the conversation.

2026 will reward those who adapt.
And penalize those who don’t.

💡 Curious how your team stacks up?
 Let’s talk, I’d love to hear how you’re approaching negotiations in 2026.

What to do when clients demand hourly billing ⏱️ 

My last post, several people reached out stating:  “Marc, fully agree… but our clients demand hourly billing.”

What to do? 

Lets first understand why clients ask for hourly billing as it’s almost never because hourly billing creates better outcomes. 

❌ It’s because hourly billing gives them the illusion of control:

❌ They can compare vendors more easily. Hourly rates make it simple for procurement to benchmark and negotiate down

❌ They haven’t done the work. They don’t know what they want/need. 

❌ They believe hours = effort = value. We all know this is untrue

❌ They want predictability. Hours feel measurable, even if they aren’t tied to results.

❌ They lack confidence in the provider. When trust is low, clients try to control scope and effort.

The reality is: Clients don’t actually want hours. They want outcomes, speed, and a problem solved. Tracking hours is a burden.

How to shift clients away from hourly billing:
✅  Focus the conversation on the impact of the solution: “What’s the business impact if we get this right?”

✅   Focus on nailing down the scope: The problem, The desired outcomes, The value of achieving them

✅   Price the result, not the labor. Your expertise isn’t less valuable because you're faster with AI, it’s more valuable. Speed is an advantage, not a discount.

✅   Stop justifying hours. Start demonstrating impact. The more you talk about hours, the more clients focus on cost. The more you talk about value, the more they focus on ROI.

The biggest mindset shift?

Hourly billing is a supplier mindset.  Value-based pricing is a strategic partner mindset.

And clients want strategic partners,  especially going into 2026.

If your clients are still “demanding” hourly billing, it’s not a dead end.
It’s a signal that the value conversation hasn’t been had yet.

Final thought
The transition isn’t about convincing clients overnight. It’s about strengthening your commercial process, and professionals to be able to have the right conversations. 

If you're struggeling with that transition, or want your team to learn how shift shift their conversation then reach out.

#negotiation #valuebased

Going into the weekend with gratitude!
Wisdom from Jimmy Carr. 
Happy weekend when you get to it. 

https://lnkd.in/euQm63VY

Open video: We Are Living Like A King... on youtube.com

The SMARTnership™ Negotiation Organization

Author, Negotiation Strategist & Professional Speaker

International Negotiation Competition

Judge

BMI Institute

Associate Professor

Lecturering at one of the leading eMBA programs in Central and Eastern Europe on Negotiation, behavioral economics, relationship and communication

Aalborg University

SMARTnership Negotiation at the University MBA program for professionals and accredited online program.

Associate Professor MBA program

International Executive MBA (Co-Organized by UCLouvain and BMI Executive Institute)

BigSpeak Speakers Bureau

Keynote speaker

World Commerce & Contracting

Negotiation expert in residence

StrongMind Foredrag

Foredragsholder

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Adjunct Professor

Danes Worldwide

Representing Danes Worldwide In Arizona USA.

Representative

Keld Jensen is an author, negotiation strategist, and professional speaker with over 30 years of experience in international management, communication, and education. He is the founder and CEO of The SMARTnership™ Negotiation Organization, a consulting and training firm that helps clients achieve win-win outcomes through innovative and ethical negotiation methods. He is also a judge of the international final, a prestigious competition that showcases the best negotiators in the world.

As a recognized thought leader and award-winning author, Keld has published 25 books on negotiation, trust, behavioral economics, and impression management, reaching millions of readers in 36 countries. He is ranked among the Global Gurus Top 30 in negotiation, and has received multiple honors for his contributions to the field. He teaches at leading executive MBA schools worldwide, and regularly speaks at conferences and events, sharing his insights and expertise with diverse audiences. His mission is to create positive impacts and value for individuals, organizations, and society through honest and effective negotiation.

Keld Jensen

I stumbled upon something interesting while waiting at LAX for my flight to London.

It’s facing outward.

If you’re interested, you should get a copy. People seem to like it. 

#negotiation Global Gurus BMI Executive Institute  Said A. ,(MBA, EFQM)  Jason Myrowitz Marc Waterman, MBA World Commerce & Contracting

Dr. Keld Jensen (DBA)

No alternative text description for this image

After 8 intense and rewarding days in Houston, I’m heading out with a full heart and an even fuller notebook.

This week brought a series of workshops with some of my favorite clients and several advisory sessions with leading energy companies. What always strikes me in these engagements is how quickly the conversation changes once people see the power of transparency, trust, and NegoEconomics in action. You can almost feel the room shift when the focus moves from defending positions to expanding value.

One moment I keep coming back to: a participant paused midway through a negotiation exercise and said, “I’ve been doing this for 20 years… why has no one shown me this before?” That’s why I do this work. Not to teach tricks, but to help organizations discover the value they didn’t even realize was on the table.

Thank you to everyone who invested their time, their openness, and their curiosity this week and especially thank you: Justine Burgett , Edward Woodland  and Russell Wellstead  - being Champions, supporting the process and development.  

Houston has a way of reminding me why SMARTnership Negotiation continues to resonate with global teams—because it gives them a framework that actually works in high-stakes, complex environments.

Next stop: Europe on Monday. Looking forward to continuing the conversation, sharing new research from The SMART Negotiator, and meeting more fantastic professionals who are ready to rethink how negotiation should be done.
If you’re in Copenhagen, Berlin, London or Paris next week—let’s connect.

BMI Executive Institute World Commerce & Contracting Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz Tiffany Kemp Said A. ,(MBA, EFQM) Francisco Cosme #negotiation The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School

On my way home after weeks in Continental Europe and a brief conference stop in London, I’m promoting my latest book, “The SMART Negotiator,” which is now the 27th book in my series. I’ve also been delivering numerous workshops across Europe.

In the past few months, I’ve visited 24 countries to promote the book and spread the word about the most awarded negotiation strategy in the world, SMARTnership Negotiation

My next stops are Los Angeles and Houston. 

Thank you to everyone joining our workshops and presentations in Europe and Asia Pacifc. 

#negotiation Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Said A. ,(MBA, EFQM) Lasse Beck Moïse NOUBISSI  Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz  Tiffany Kemp BMI Executive Institute World Commerce & Contracting

Why Some Organizations — and Negotiators — Consistently Win More

Every time I start a keynote or workshop, I point to this slide and say:
“This is the most important slide in my deck.”

And I mean it.

It’s based on our study of more than 35,000 negotiators worldwide — and the results are clear.

The most successful negotiators and organizations share four defining characteristics.

✅They Have a Corporate Negotiation Strategy
Successful organizations don’t leave negotiation to individual style or intuition.
They’ve built a corporate strategy that defines how the company negotiates — aligning goals, roles, and standards across every department and market.
Without it, they end up negotiating in silos, wasting both time and value.

✅They Build and Trade in TrustCurrency™
Trust isn’t a soft factor — it’s a measurable asset.
High-trust negotiators accelerate deals, reduce risk, and create more value.
Our research shows that trust can account for more than 30% of additional value in complex negotiations.

✅They Negotiate on How to Negotiate — Before They Negotiate
The best negotiators define the process first.
They agree on principles, data-sharing, timing, and communication before any numbers are exchanged.
It’s not a formality — it’s how they create transparency, predictability, and mutual confidence.

✅They Apply NegoEconomics™
They look beyond price.
They identify asymmetric value — where one side’s cost becomes another’s gain — and turn it into shared success.

These four elements — Strategy, TrustCurrency, Understanding, and NegoEconomics — are what separate those who negotiate deals from those who build partnerships that change the world.

Question for reflection:
If you look at your own organization — which of these four would make the biggest difference if you improved it tomorrow?

#negotiation The Program on Negotiation #ai World Commerce & Contracting BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club

2026 marks a remarkable milestone for our field.

Fifty years ago, in 1976, a visionary gentleman named Iwar Unt gathered a small group in Stockholm to explore a radical idea: negotiation didn’t have to be a battle. It could be a system built on transparency, trust, and mutual gain. That simple but groundbreaking shift became the foundation for what we now recognize as the negotiation revolution.

Half a century later, his spark has grown into a global movement.

Every year I meet leaders, teams, and organizations who are actively stepping away from the old, defensive, positional mindset. They’re embracing NegoEconomics and collaborative negotiation because they’ve seen—often in very tangible financial outcomes—how expanding the pie creates far more value than fighting over it.

2026 is both a celebration and a turning point.

We now have the research, the tools, and the AI capabilities to prove what Iwar Unt intuitively understood: value grows when both sides commit to working together. The principles he introduced in Stockholm are more relevant than ever.

This anniversary isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about momentum.

Those of us championing SMARTnership negotiation today stand on the shoulders of pioneers like Iwar Unt. And with the world shifting rapidly, the responsibility—and opportunity—to shape the next 50 years has never been greater.

Here’s to honoring the vision that started in 1976 and to accelerating the movement that continues to reshape how the world negotiates.

2026 will be a big year—and the next chapter begins now.

#negotiation The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Moïse NOUBISSI Jason Myrowitz Tiffany Kemp Juan Manuel García P. Said A. ,(MBA, EFQM) Francisco Cosme BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club Tarek Amine Mayra Martinez Nikken Jim Pearson Matthew Powell Thunderbird School of Global Management AAU Executive - MBA and HD at Aalborg University

Have you ever wondered how much value your organization leaves on the table in high-stakes negotiations?

We’re opening the very first SMARTnership Negotiation Masterclass delivered entirely in French, and the pilot program comes with an extremely attractive price. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to bring a world-leading negotiation methodology into the French-speaking market, this is it.

On 15–16 January 2026 in Paris, senior leaders and decision-makers will dive into a two-day program built around advanced preparation, behavioral economics, trust, NegoEconomics, and hands-on simulations.

The full agenda is uploaded, and you can already explore the program here:

https://lnkd.in/gdWQ3K6x

What makes this pilot special is the combination of three things:
1. A world-class program ranked among the Top 3 negotiation trainings globally.
2. A rare opportunity to access the full SMARTnership methodology in French for the first time.
3. A launch price that won’t be repeated once the French version rolls out internationally.

If you're leading teams, handling complex negotiations, or simply ready to adopt a different way of negotiating, this is a unique chance to join us at the very beginning.

Feel free to reach out if you want to learn more or secure a seat.

Moïse NOUBISSI #negotiation UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute World Commerce & Contracting The Program on Negotiation Global Gurus

Why This Case Matters

What happened in this dairy plant project is something I often see inside organizations. A major investment is about to move forward, suppliers submit their bids, and suddenly the numbers drift far beyond what anyone planned for. At that moment, most teams feel trapped between two bad choices: downgrade quality or delay the entire project.

In Lithuania, they chose a different path — structure, transparency, and value creation. 

From Pressure to Possibility
Picture this: bids land at €23–25M when the target is €17M.
Most people would accept compromises that hurt the project long-term.
Instead, our SMARTnership Negotiation partner Gražvydas Jukna brought every supplier into a shared process with clear rules of engagement.
No bluffing.
No games.
No positional tactics.
Just open information and a commitment to explore mutual gain.

That shift alone changed everything.
The Hidden Value They Found
Once the parties stopped defending and started collaborating, the real opportunities emerged.

Differences in logistics, installation, and risk allocation — the asymmetric values traditional negotiations miss — became visible.

By redesigning the deal through NegoEconomics, the team kept quality, improved the technical solution, and reduced the investment from €25M to €17M.

This wasn’t achieved by squeezing suppliers.
It was achieved by thinking smarter together.

Collaboration Outperformed Pressure
What makes this case stand out is that everyone won.
Suppliers preserved healthy margins.
The client got the price, quality, and schedule they needed.
Trust increased across the entire supply chain.

When you replace fear with transparency and create a shared understanding of value, the outcome changes dramatically.

The Takeaway for Any Organization
If your negotiations feel stuck, adversarial, or too focused on price, this story is your reminder that hidden value is almost always waiting to be uncovered.

SMARTnership isn’t just a nicer way to negotiate — it’s a more profitable one.
And here’s the part more people need to talk about:
we can prove it.

Next time you choose a negotiation trainer or advisor, ask them a simple question:

What actual financial success have you created for your clients?

What to copy this success. Reach out to bea@smartnership.org. We might be able to help you. 

Why do a commercial organization negotiate? To create and distribute value!

Click on the photo below and download for more details. 


Tine Anneberg Tiffany Kemp Jason Myrowitz Moïse NOUBISSI Juan Manuel García P. Gražvydas Jukna BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute World Commerce & Contracting #negotiation The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School

Dairy production 

Have you ever wished you could sharpen your negotiation skills while commuting, traveling, or simply taking a break from screens?

I’m excited to share that The SMART Negotiator will be available as an audiobook on December 10th.

For several years, we’ve been researching how AI and human insight can work together to transform the way organizations negotiate. This audiobook brings that research, the SMARTnership mindset, and real-world cases into an easy format for anyone who prefers to listen rather than read.

It also includes generous endorsements from leaders across industries — like Jim Daly from Amazon Web Services, who called the approach “revolutionary.”

If you’re someone who negotiates commercially, leads teams, advises clients, or simply wants to create more value in every deal, this version makes it effortless to dive in.

You can pre-order it here:
https://a.co/d/5VaPX8f

Looking forward to hearing what value it brings to your work.

Gražvydas Jukna Moïse NOUBISSI BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute World Commerce & Contracting AAU Executive - MBA and HD at Aalborg University Tarek Amine Tiffany Kemp Tine Anneberg Jason Myrowitz Said A. ,(MBA, EFQM) Francisco Cosme Global Gurus Taha Farhan

Why do commercial organizations actually negotiate?
That’s the question I explore in the video below.

For years, our field has been flooded with noise.
Endless talk about tricks, tactics, spotting liars, body language, secret phrases, mirroring, or whatever new “spy-movie” method someone has wrapped in clever branding.

It’s entertaining.
But it doesn’t move the needle.

Inside real organizations, the people I meet are dealing with something far simpler and far more important: they’re trying to solve a puzzle that has far more to do with numbers, structure, and logic than theatrics.
In fact, most commercial negotiations resemble a mathematical riddle far more than a psychological battlefield.

That’s where the SMARTNership mindset steps in.
It strips away the clutter and helps leaders rethink what negotiation actually is, what it isn’t, and what it should be. Instead of chasing the next shiny tactic, the focus shifts to something far more meaningful: creating more value with the counterpart than either side could achieve alone.

If your team is still working inside the old playbook, this might be the moment to pause and ask whether the approach you’re using reflects the outcomes you want.

Watch the video and decide for yourself.
And yes — I know this provokes some people. But often the truth hurts.

BMI Executive Institute World Commerce & Contracting The Program on Negotiation BMI Alumni Executive Club AAU Executive - MBA and HD at Aalborg University Niels Sandalgaard Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz Tiffany Kemp Moïse NOUBISSI

I’ve just reviewed the newly leaked draft of the U.S.-backed peace proposal for Ukraine, and here’s my reaction through a SMARTnership Negotiation lens.

I always look at negotiations the same way I look at commercial deals:
What value is created?
How is that value distributed?
And does the structure build trust — or erode it?

There are some encouraging elements in the proposal.
For example, the clear recognition of Ukraine’s sovereignty, the attempt to formalize long-term security dialogue, and the inclusion of a reconstruction and development package with an economic engine behind it. Those elements reflect the mindset of moving from confrontation to collaboration.

But there are also deep concerns.
Several of the territorial clauses heavily favour Russia, limitations on Ukraine’s future security autonomy are one-sided, and the governance mechanisms for enforcing peace look weak. From a SMARTnership Negotiation perspective, that’s a problem. You can’t build stable agreements on asymmetry alone — that’s how future conflict is seeded.

If I were advising any of the parties, I’d push for three things:
1. More balance.
Mutual commitments rather than one-way obligations.
Phased transitions instead of permanent restrictions.
2. Credible governance.
A monitoring structure that all sides see as fair, independent and enforceable.
3. Real long-term value creation.
Reconstruction, development and cross-border cooperation should be placed at the center. Peace is not just the absence of fighting — it’s the presence of opportunity.

There is potential here. But it needs serious work if it’s going to become a durable agreement rather than a temporary pause.

The photo below and the draft of the US-backed peace proposal for Ukraine are from Reuters. 

#negotiation

Most people get negotiation completely wrong.

They think it’s about talking, convincing, and winning the argument.

That’s the illusion most professionals still live in — the “verbal duel” mindset.
But negotiation isn’t a contest of words. It’s a system of value creation.

True negotiation lives at the intersection of:
Economics – understanding asymmetric value (NegoEconomics)
Curiosity – uncovering what others don’t see
Trust – your most powerful form of currency (TrustCurrency)
AI and data – guiding smarter decisions
Psychology and relationships – shaping long-term outcomes

When you master those elements, you stop negotiating against people and start negotiating with them.

That’s the essence of SMARTnership — where collaboration replaces confrontation, and both sides win more than they imagined.

👉 Swipe through the carousel to see what people think negotiation is…
and what it really is.

Ask yourself:
Are you negotiating for a deal — or for value?

#negotiation #ai World Commerce & Contracting Tarek Amine Michael Gates Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Dominik Wilk Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz Moïse NOUBISSI Tiffany Kemp BMI Executive Institute

What People think Negotiation is

For the first time, different negotiation styles were compared inside the same negotiation — live, objectively, and with AI.

This study was conducted and run live on LinkedIn by the team behind Negotiations for Project Managers – Effective Negotiations Using AI (2025), led by Misael Castro Rosas.

This is the second independent exercise in the last month, using the same setup, where SMARTnership Negotiation delivered the strongest collaborative and value-generating outcome compared to other leading negotiation models.

What matters is not the result itself — but how it was measured.

What has changed
Until recently, comparing negotiation approaches objectively was extremely difficult.
AI now makes it possible to evaluate different negotiation styles inside the same negotiation, under identical conditions — not different cases, facilitators, or subjective interpretations.

What the study tested
Three well-known negotiation approaches were applied to one identical scenario:
Chris Voss – Tactical Empathy
Jordan Belfort – Straight Line Persuasion
Dr. Keld Jensen’s SMARTnership

The case was deliberately realistic:
Engineering requested a $900K investment
Finance targeted a $544K cost reduction
Leadership needed to protect $12M in annual revenue

AI was used to assess behavior, collaboration, decision quality, and value creation.

What the comparison showed
Each approach delivered what it was designed to deliver:
Chris Voss' Tactical Empathy reduced tension and built trust, but only partially resolved the economic challenge.

Jordan Belfort's Straight Line Persuasion drove fast decisions, with higher relational and financial risk.

Dr. Keld Jensen’s SMARTnership introduced transparency, shared ownership, joint ROI tracking, and benefit-sharing — producing the most balanced and sustainable outcome.

This wasn’t an opinion.
It was the same negotiation, compared objectively.

Why this matters
For decades, negotiation models have been debated through stories and personal preference.

AI now allows a tougher question:
Which approach actually performs best when value, trust, collaboration, and long-term outcomes are measured side by side?

For the second time in a month, independent exercises point in the same direction.

Final thought
If a negotiation approach cannot be evaluated objectively, it will eventually be replaced by one that can.

The full text is attached for download for those who want to go deeper.

Next time you select a negotiation trainer or advisor, inquire about the tangible financial results they have delivered for their clients. 

#negotiation The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School #trust BMI Executive Institute Global Gurus Taha Farhan Tine Anneberg Gražvydas Jukna Juan Manuel García P. Jason Myrowitz Allan Jensen World Commerce & Contracting Tiffany Kemp Moïse NOUBISSI

Negotiation method 

This is the last call, with the deadline on December 14th.

I’ve been nominated again for the Global Gurus Top 30 in Negotiation, and I would genuinely appreciate your support. If my books, research, or SMARTnership Negotiation programs have added value to your work, your vote means a great deal.

And if you don’t know me or SMARTnership Negotiation yet, just ask ChatGPT to compare my work with other approaches.

Get a sense of who I am, what the SMARTnership philosophy stands for, and then decide who deserves your vote.

You can vote here:
https://lnkd.in/gN-n4pz8

(Select Dr. Keld Jensen in the Negotiation category.)

As a thank you, I’m offering free access to one online course in communication, negotiation, or culture, valued up to $50, for anyone who votes and shares a short LinkedIn post about it.

And if you already voted earlier, don’t worry — I’m not going to cheat you.

Just post on LinkedIn that you voted, share the link with Dr. Keld Jensen (DBA), and you’ll receive free access as well.

Thank you for being part of the SMARTnership community and for supporting value-creating negotiation.

#negotiation The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School World Commerce & Contracting Matthew Powell Jim Pearson Stewart Prizeman BMI Executive Institute BMI Alumni Executive Club UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute #procurement CIPS - The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Procurement Foundry AAU Executive - MBA and HD at Aalborg University Thunderbird School of Global Management

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taplio

The Battle

Marc Saris

Keld Jensen

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Marc Saris's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreMarc Saris's LinkedIn Performance