Throughout the sales process, I negotiated directly with the CFO (North American Chief Financial Officer). Mario was an agile negotiator, a true pro. He knew finances like the back of his hand. You know, the kind of negotiator who scares the crap out of you? You couldn’t tell what he was thinking. On my end, this was my first negotiation and the most important of my life. And to top it all off, the discussions were in English, my second language. You get the idea: Caroline versus Goliath (aka Mario).

At first, I felt paralyzed by the situation. As if I were climbing walls that were too high. When this paralysis hits me, I do two things. First, I try to understand. Second, I put myself in solution mode. During the acquisition of SixDegrés by Edelman. With Ève Laurier, General Manager of the Montreal office.

Negotiating like a lioness

Until now, negotiating my salary conditions had been quite comfortable. This time, I was especially intimidated by having to negotiate with a lion. My solution was to surround myself with professionals (accountant, lawyer, notary) who helped me understand the value of my business.

With them, I took notes and asked a lot of questions. The file was reviewed in all its details. My experts also accompanied me during difficult discussions. That's when I went from paralysis to fully looking forward to the discussions. I was well surrounded and well prepared!

During the long negotiation process leading to the sale of my business, I not only won most of the points that were important to me, but I also learned to discover kindness in the person of Mario and I forged bonds of friendship.

5 tips for negotiating with confidence

Here are some things I learned that I hope will help you gain confidence in your next business or salary negotiation.

1. Mastering your subject Before each phone call with Mario, I did the meticulous exercise of reviewing my figures, my financial terminology. My argument was prepared. The success of the negotiation lies in the details. You have to review your documents, find out about the company, its financial statements. My advice: imagine what you are going to say and rehearse it two or three times in order to prepare yourself mentally.

2. Have a clear and strategic vision Know your interlocutor and have their priorities in mind. What do you want from this negotiation? Establish three clear points. (Get the price of X for your company, ask for the entire team to be integrated into the company, negotiate their working conditions). Then, what are you willing to give up? (be willing to give up the title of executive vice president requested for a senior VP position). Always have a replacement or counter-proposal in mind and use your levers to negotiate the shortfall.

3. Adopt a Winning Attitude Be authentic, confident and positive. Learn to ask. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sometimes you have to be creative to reach an agreement.

4. Aim high Ask for the maximum, while being realistic. Get out of your comfort zone. You don't feel comfortable? Maybe it's because your request is unrealistic or you're not ready for negotiation yet. Respect yourself.

5. Listening A good negotiation must be done by listening and taking into account the needs of the other party. Don't talk too much, listen. The goal is to reach an agreement that will satisfy both parties.

Play the game, negotiate with confidence. And don’t forget to have fun! Because negotiation should not be seen as a confrontation, but as another step in your career progression.