Whether you love negotiating or hate it, improving your negotiation skills will immediately make you much more successful in life and business. Many of us are afraid to ask for what we want. Some see negotiation as confrontation and run away from it. Others see it as confrontation and run toward it. We learn to negotiate based on trial and error but that doesn’t mean we are actually getting the most of our deals. Most often, we simply don’t have people teaching us how to negotiate better.

Answer these questions for yourself.  Have you ever felt taken advantage of in a negotiation? Have you ever been afraid to ask for what really you want? Have you ever had a business relationship fall apart and see no way of fixing it? Have you ever been lied to in a negotiation? If you are normal, you’ve answered “Yes” to most if not all of these questions.

Welcome to In the Venn Zone, a podcast that shows you how negotiations could unfold and gives you insights into how you can take a different approach to your own negotiations. Join host Christine McKay every week as we explore the various aspects of negotiation. Christine will interview a broad range of people who will share their negotiation experiences, lessons, and provide insights on how to approach your deals more effectively.

Guests will include C-Suite executives, small business owners, and solopreneurs.

A common term among academics who teach negotiation is the zone of possible agreement, which we call the Venn Zone. Essentially the Venn Zone is the intersection of the wants and needs of all involved parties. It’s where we find common ground. In business and in life, having good negotiation skills is critical because it contributes significantly to the success and helps build better relationships.

As a Global Negotiation Strategist and CEO of Venn Negotiation, Christine McKay helps small businesses negotiate even more effectively and profitably. By developing and delivering programs that help business professionals accelerate their negotiation skills. Christine frequently speaks on a broad range of negotiation-related topics and has developed many programs that help her clients negotiate even more effectively. She is also the author of “Why Not Ask? A Conversation about Getting More” and “Sign Here: Negotiation Strategies for the Real World.”

Christine’s work includes negotiating various business-related agreements. She has negotiated for sales, procurement, and mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Christine has negotiated with almost half of the Fortune 500 in 53 countries. She also has advised and negotiated on behalf of hundreds of small and mid-size companies. Throughout her decades-long career, Christine has worked in many industries including software, manufacturing, oil and gas, telecommunications, and more.

Born and raised in rural Montana, Christine started her adult life as an unwed mom living out of her 1972 Chrysler Newport. She had three daughters at age 22, was in a horrible marriage, and spent almost 10 years on welfare. Christine wanted a different life. So, she negotiated one. Ultimately, she earned her MBA from Harvard University. Christine became a seasoned negotiator and an international business professional.

Christine is passionate about helping clients find common ground and resolve complex issues. She particularly loves leveling the playing field when clients are negotiating with a counterpart who has more power and leverage. 

Feel even more confident when negotiating. Build and maintain even more profitable long-term relationships. Join Christine McKay on In the Venn Zone and learn strategies and tactics for negotiating effectively. Negotiation is nothing more than a conversation about a relationship. Effective negotiations help you build better relationships, deliver quality solutions that satisfy all parties, and prevent future problems and conflicts.

Get ready to successfully level the playing field only here on In the Venn Zone!