Ed Brodow

Ed Brodow is the world’s top spokesman on the art of negotiation. SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt dubbed Ed “The King of Negotiators.” Forbes Magazine agreed, ranking Ed as one of the nation’s leading dealmakers along with Senator George Mitchell and Citigroup CEO Sanford Weill. Ed’s practical, no-nonsense approach to an often-misunderstood subject has helped audiences and readers all over the world to overcome their fears and get what they want in business and in their personal lives.

Ed Brodow’s latest bestselling book, Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals (Doubleday), is based on the successful seminar he created. For almost two decades, the Negotiation Boot Camp® seminar has set the standard for “how to make a deal” in corporate America. Ed’s other popular books are Getting A Success Change: How to Be Happy in a World Gone Mad (Amazon Kindle), Negotiate With Confidence (American Media), and a novel, Fixer (Outskirts Press).

Keynote Speaker

Ed travels internationally as keynote speaker at meetings and conventions. Since 1987, more than 1,000 corporate and association audiences – plus millions of television viewers – have enjoyed his charismatic stage presence, infectious humor, and practical ideas. Ed’s impressive client list includes Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, The Hartford, Johnson & Johnson, Learjet, Kimberly-Clark, Quest Diagnostics, McDonald’s, Cisco Systems, The Gap, Heartland Financial, ConAgra, KPMG, Mobil Oil, Revlon, Starbucks, the IRS, and the Pentagon.

Cambridge University Press in the U.K. paid tribute to Ed’s platform skills by immortalizing his signature “Meatball Sandwich” story in an impressive new book called Dynamic Presentations. Chosen as the paradigm for how to tell a story, the “Meatball Sandwich” is analyzed line-by-line, Ed’s stage techniques are revealed, and a CD is included with Ed telling the story.

Negotiation Guru on TV

A nationally recognized television personality, Ed Brodow has appeared as negotiation guru on PBS, ABC National News, Fox News, Inside Edition, and Fortune Business Report. Followed by hidden TV cameras in New York, Boston, and San Francisco, Ed proved to American consumers that they have the power to negotiate better deals in department stores and retail malls. His two-hour PBS special, Negotiate With Confidence, garnered rave reviews. Ed’s negotiation strategies have been showcased in The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Smart Money, Business Week, Entrepreneur, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, and Selling Power.

Corporate Negotiator

For content, Ed draws on more than 20 years of practical experience as Corporate Executive and Negotiator: Marine Corps officer; IBM computer salesman; Litton Industries sales manager; Singer Company corporate negotiator; and president of Pulse Management Corporation, a New York sales consulting firm. Making deals ever since he was a kid in Brooklyn, Ed has negotiated everything from simple sales transactions to complex multi-million dollar agreements. He has worked closely with senior management and corporate attorneys to consummate many complicated deals that would have been impossible without Ed’s patience and creativity.

Hollywood Actor

Ed’s riveting platform skills spring from his creative side – as a professional actor. A veteran member of Screen Actors Guild, he is often recognized from his many starring roles in feature films, made-for-TV movies, a soap opera, and commercials. He won the lead in the European film Jackpot, and appeared opposite Jessica Lange (Frances), Ron Howard (Fire on the Mountain), Christopher Reeve (Love of Life), and other Hollywood luminaries.

“I am the only negotiation expert who has made love to Jessica Lange – on screen, that is,” Ed confides with a twinkle in his eye. Clients appreciate the spontaneity, story telling ability, and rapport with the audience that Ed learned in Hollywood.

Negotiating in Turbulent Times

Audiences relate to this topic because in today’s challenging business climate, the ability to negotiate can make the difference between success and failure. That’s why Ed Brodow’s entertaining and informative negotiation keynote is always SRO: Standing Room Only. Audiences love how Ed relates his talk to their unique issues. For a group of real estate brokers and agents, he gave advice about negotiating with clients when the market takes a nosedive. For an audience of bankers, Ed discussed the importance of negotiating with the system to achieve a workable life balance. For a publishing association, Ed talked about negotiating with “the devil,” referring to their tongue-in-cheek reference to literary agents. Ed’s high energy, humorous anecdotes, and useful ideas will create an upbeat rhythm for your meeting or convention.

The Human's Guide to Win-Win Negotiating

Chimpanzees are hostile. Bonobos make love. Which are you? Using the unusual metaphor of our closest relations, monkeys, Ed Brodow’s entertaining program proves that success happens when you treat other people as partners. The differing behaviors of chimps (adversarial) and bonobos (cooperative) remind us that win-win collaboration works best. Trust develops when you acknowledge the other side’s perspective and explore options for mutual satisfaction. According to Ed’s new book, Negotiation Boot Camp (Doubleday): “If both sides feel satisfied, everything is possible.” Your audience will laugh their heads off when Ed shows photos of monkeys negotiating. And they will love it when Ed challenges them to decide: “Are you a chimp or are you a bonobo?”

Sales Negotiation: More Is Better

When it comes to the selling price for your product or service, more is definitely better. In fact, closing the sale means nothing if the deal is not profitable. Ed Brodow draws on his sales negotiation experience to show your sales force how to create satisfied customers at higher prices. According to Ed, the most satisfied customers are the ones who pay top dollar because they appreciate the value of their investment. Successful sales negotiators exude confidence, focus on perceived value, and aren’t afraid to say “no.” Your sales force will stop discounting after they hear Ed’s entertaining, real-life stories about how to turn customer price objections into value-based sales. The mantra for the rest of your sales meeting will be “More Is Better!”

Optimism Is Everything

In this inspirational keynote, Ed Brodow draws on time-tested principles of negotiation to prove that the only guaranteed way to be successful is to expect to succeed. “Successful negotiators are optimists,” he wrote in his bestselling book, Negotiation Boot Camp. For two decades, Ed’s Fortune 500 clients have learned the five pillars of optimism: aiming high, maintaining Negotiation Consciousness, exuding the Confidence Mystique, carrying on an affectionate inner dialogue, and being willing to walk away. Companies that make it to the top are led by optimists who expect to out-do the competition and grow the business in spite of economic setbacks and other factors that have nothing to do with getting the job done. But optimism is an individual responsibility. You have to negotiate with yourself. Nobody will do it for you. “Perpetual optimism,” said Colin Powell, “is a force multiplier.”

Life Balance

Ed Brodow debunks the myths of success as he shows your audience how to lead a more personally fulfilling life. Based on his critically acclaimed book, Getting a Success Change, Ed argues that balancing the competing aspects of your life is more important than money, fame, status, and power. With insight, humor, and self-revelation, he challenges our toxic definition of success: Instead of envying people who have more money or fame, create a balanced lifestyle that fits your own temperament and preferences. In this increasingly complicated world, success is the result of taking risks, maintaining a sense of balance, and appreciating the contribution you make to others. Your audience will walk away feeling more excited about their jobs and their lives.

Outstanding opening keynote you were rated the best out of our eight speakers. Your win-win negotiation strategy was just what we needed to hear. — Turnaround Management Association

You have a great gift in speaking to people without lecturing and that in turn creates a group that is interactive and excited to learn. Thanks for making us all better negotiators. — Mission Foods - National Sales Meeting

Ed repeatedly receives the highest evaluations. — Seagate Technology

A huge success which far exceeded expectations. The word 'customization' does not do justice to the end product Ed delivered. — The Hartford Insurance