About Us
Welcome to
Running The Room!
The name for this blog comes from how I was taught disciplined sales and negotiation professionals lead when trying to close a deal: “You have to be able to run the room.”
This dates back to when we all actually sat in a conference room and negotiated in person. These days we’re finding the value and efficiency of virtual meetings, but someone still needs to run the virtual room.
running the room
The notion of “running the room” is not one of dominance, but one of management and leadership. A deal has the greatest chance at optimizing value when it has “two in a box” as both parties bring an experienced dealmaker to collaborate and drive the agreement to signature.
In many situations, however, one party may not have someone with the needed expertise. When that happens, it is up to you to run the room. That means understanding all the parties’ interests; helping both teams brainstorm options; maintaining collaborative communication; overseeing a disciplined process; and, most of all, managing emotions such that, in the end, the parties will have a better relationship than when they started.
I created this blog to ruminate on issues of leadership, sales and negotiation
I created this blog to ruminate on issues of leadership, sales and negotiation to help me think more deeply about aspects of influence (which is really what leadership, sales and negotiation are). This blog is also meant to provide a place for others to contribute their thoughts on better ways to run the room.
Influence permeates our lives, personally and professionally; we are always trying to influence people. Having awareness of what we are doing and the impact of our actions helps us become more disciplined and expert at the art of influence.
Over the course of my professional life, I have worked for some of the largest technology services companies in the world, and led hundred of engagements to close several billion dollars in deals (and walked away from just as many bad deals).
I have experimented with different strategies of influence and negotiation as part of my job, and learned valuable (and sometimes painful) lessons. Using those lessons, I have trained thousands of senior executives in leadership, sales and negotiations through rigorous three-day workshops and videos, literally around the globe. Some of the people I have worked with have astounded me with their insights and talents, and I have been fortunate to learn from them. I want to share what I have learned with you.
Why the coffee cups?
When I saw that photograph by the Romanian photographer Alex Padurariu, it captured for me two essentials of influence: coffee and balance. OK, I added the coffee reference for myself. But the art of influence is about finding a balance, just as the yin and yang in the picture. By focusing on balance, we maintain empathy for the needs of others as we try to collaborate for a mutually beneficial solution.
I hope you enjoy the articles and contribute with your comments. I will share everything I know, and I hope you will too, and between us we can learn from each other on how to better run the room.
I look forward to our discussions.
– John Dieffenbach