No deal is better than a bad deal. – Chis Voss.
Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, FPSN, MON, OFR, NPON, legendary Pharmacist and leader said, “Negotiate everything.” I agree with this counsel because when you negotiate well, you get a good deal, or you walk away from a bad one. No deal is better than a bad deal, so says Chris Voss, former lead negotiator for the FBI.
In today’s article, I will explore thoughts on negotiation and how to be guided. Negotiation happens daily in our personal and professional lives.
*No Deal is Better Than A Bad Deal*
Let me tell you a true story that happened some years ago. Our company, The Selling Champion Consulting Ltd, is a leading award winning Nigerian Council for Management Development accredited Training and Consulting Organization. Our core duties include: recruitment, training, and consulting. We do this function for organizations to prepare productive teams. One of the ways we get the job done is through retainership. We sign deals that range from six months to one year and beyond – to get desired results. There was a prospect in manufacturing and distribution that wanted us to achieve a positive turnaround for their sales team – that will take their sales performance from 30% to 100% – within the period of the contract agreement. The deal involved recruiting new competent sales professionals, training them, and developing and implementing a brilliant go-to-market model that will get the right results. Yes, we like the deal. The professional fee was good. But there was a problem: The company wanted us to achieve the results in 30 days! This is mission impossible! The recruiting process to get competent sales professionals will take at least two weeks. Imagine the period it will take to achieve other key performance indicators, so going ahead with the deal will be a time bomb waiting to explode!
I motivate people, I am a positive person daily. I am also a realist. I don’t believe in empty motivation that lacks depth. Competence is never an issue for us. I have 29 years experience in the sales and marketing space and counting. I grew from the position of a salesman to National Sales Manager before launching our business 14 years ago. I am hands-on. I know sales and marketing concepts . I know business strategy. I am a researcher who is always researching for new ways to do the job better. Our team at The Selling Champion Consulting Ltd is topnotch. Competence wasn’t an issue for us and it has never been an issue. We know the job, we can do a great job for the company. The major issue that made us walk away from the deal was the 30-day period to execute the job. We tried to get the company to extend the period to 180 days or 90 days, but they maintained that it must be a period of 30 days to get the expected results and we decided to quit! No deal is better than a bad deal.
*Integrity Comes With A Price*
Walking away from the deal was the best thing for us if we wanted to save our name because it was almost impossible to meet the target within 30 days. It’s better for the business to lose money and be seen as a reputable company that promises and never fails, than to make money and struggle to keep a good name. Again, I say, No Deal is better than Bad Deal.
*Win-Win Is Great*
The best deal on the table is a win-win deal. Here, everyone wins. Lose-win or win-lose isn’t the way to go. When one party wins and the other party loses, the outcome is usually a one-off deal and one-off deals don’t grow businesses because they lead to one-off transactions. Let all the parties win. This is how to keep doing business with your customers and prospects. People buy and keep buying when they see that their interest is protected. They will continue to do business with you when they get value.
*Find A Balance*
Negotiation fails when parties stick to their positions. Move away from positions and find a balance in the interests. Interests are the real reasons that took the parties to the negotiating table. Simply put, Position is when the parties want to get more from the deal. The truth is that everyone wants some more, just like Oliver Twist. The second truth is that the negotiation often hit the wall when parties stick to their positions. Move away from positions and find a balance in the interests of the parties and close the deal.
*Give Options*
The more the merrier. As a salesman or negotiator, find creative ways to give options. Like in the true story, we gave a 3 month option and it still didn’t work. Each party on the table should be able to make some adjustments or compromise. Insisting that it must be the way you want it may result in a no deal situation. Give them options. You can reduce the time or another element in the deal to reduce the amount to be paid or to make the terms more attractive. This solution works and helps to make headway.
*Walk Away!*
My favorite quote when I teach the art of negotiation is, “A desperate person is a bad negotiator.” Prepare your mind to walk away when you are not getting a good deal. Walk away when it’s a bad deal. I have just shared a true story that states what a bad deal looks like. Oftentimes, people walk into a bad deal and struggle later to get out of it. It’s better to save your time, money, products, services, and energy, than to get into a bad deal because you just want to close a deal. One of the thoughts I explored in the book, The 25 unbreakable Laws of Sales is, “Desperation Is Not Selling.” Buyers take advantage of desperate salespeople. A desperate person often gets a bad deal because that’s what he/she is wired to get!
Negotiate like a Champion. Sell like a Champion!
George O. Emetuche,CES
The Selling Champion.
*Update:*
Register to be part of our annual Masterclass on Sales, Marketing, Strategy, and Personal Effectiveness.
Details:
South East/ South South
Venue: Toscana Hotels, Independence Layout, Enugu.
Date: Saturday, 22nd August, 2026
Faculty:
Prof Vincent Onodugo, FCAI, FNIM, FIIA, Prof of Management and Entrepreneurship University of Nigeria.
Prof Chuka Ifediora, FIAS, Prof of Marketing, University of Nigeria.
George O. Emetuche, Accredited Training Consultant and MD, The Selling Champion Consulting Ltd.
Lagos/South West
Date: 5th September, 2026
Venue: Dover Hotels, Ikeja-Lagos
Faculty:
Chidi Okoro, Founder/ Executive Consultant Drugs& Medicaments Nig Ltd and senior fellow at Lagos Business School.
Charles Iloegbunam, FNIMN, MD, Masters Energy Aviation and veteran Sales and Marketing Expert.
Prof Ayo Oniku, FNIMN, Professor of Marketing at University of Lagos and Coordinator of DBA program, Unilag Business School.
George O. Emetuche, MD, The Selling Champion Consulting Ltd.
Enquiries: see flyers, visit our website or call, 07060559429. Register your team today. The value is massive!
