Foreword

In How to be a Better Deal-closer, Simon Haigh builds on his recent e-book Dealmaking for Corporate Growth, and gives us a rich and thoroughly comprehensible framework for closing deals in business. In doing so he includes some interesting perspectives from some leading international executives, more practical examples and questions and answer sessions. It’s a step-by-step guide to successful deal-closing for, as Simon says, “anyone who needs to make a deal.”

What is very interesting to me is that the seven Ps Simon describes in his book are quite similar to what I teach my executive coaching clients. For instance, I teach them about the importance of listening, the importance of partnering, and one of my all-time favorites, value. Simon writes, “There is a tendency to think that a deal-closer must ‘win’ and the other side must ‘lose.’”

As I talk about in my book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, one of the most rampantly bad habits among successful people is the need to win, to prove they are right, to squash the other guy into oblivion. I’ll leave it to you to read more about Simon’s take on creating value and fairness as it pertains to deal-closing. Suffice it to say, we are of like mind on this topic!

Here is one last piece of advice that I have for you before you venture into reading this wonderfully concise and matter-of-fact book. When it comes to deal-closing and influencing the other party (-ies) in the deal, remember that every decision is made by the person who has the power to make that decision. This will not necessarily be the “right” person, the “smartest” person, or the “best” person. If you can influence the key decision-makers involved in the deal, you can make a positive difference. If you cannot influence these decision makers, you will make much less of a difference. Once you make peace with this fact, you will become more effective at every deal you attempt to make.

Read, learn, and practice these wonderful seven Ps of deal-closing. Life is good.