Unlocking YES! Revised Edition

In Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy, Patrick Tinney shares a rich combination of key negotiation principles and professional stories drawn from his own and his colleagues' experience as veteran sales experts. As a negotiation professor, I was glad to have the chance to read it.

Unlocking Yes is fairly unique in the way it focuses on the connections between the two critical business skills of sales and negotiation. I’ve met many who feel lacking in both subjects, and I’m glad to know that Unlocking Yes is written with them in mind. The book can reassure and help many of them.

Unlocking Yes succinctly reviews key principles of negotiation in an easy-to-read format- principles that are central to the field and that can make a big difference for anyone. It also offers a number of noteworthy ideas about the selling process, rightly emphasizing relationship building, listening, preparation, and even connecting that work with other business concepts such as SWOT analysis is accretive.

The book's stories add color and subtleties to these principles. For example, to illustrate the importance of negotiation relationships, Tinney recounts a powerful story about going out of his way to do right by a client. The client so appreciated his consideration that years later when he faced layoffs at his firm, the client offered to help him find another job.

Helping people produce more creative, satisfying agreements is a hugely valuable thing to do. Unlocking Yes can help readers do just that, especially those in sales who are new or feel strongly challenged by this critical task.

Congratulations on a Fantastic Book Pat!! If you are looking for a book that can start you off or get you to the next level of Sales Negotiations than UNLOCKING YES is a must read!!

A great book with a wealth of information.

A few years ago, I was asked to source out Negotiation Trainers in Canada that we could possibly partner with to develop our sales professionals. I quickly came across Centroid Training & Marketing in my initial research.

Patrick's knowledge and skill as a trainer quickly became evident. The project was canceled, and although we did not begin a business relationship at that time
Patrick is someone I stayed in touch with.

Naturally, when the discussions began again to deliver a sales negotiation training in our organization, I did not have to perform an exhaustive search to find my partner.

I was tasked with creating a Sales Negotiation Training program for my organization, and the very first book I purchased for a reference was UNLOCKING YES, Sales Negotiation Lessons and Strategy.

The book takes years of battle proven knowledge and skill and presents a how to: prepare, present, remove objections and close deals for all sales professionals.

Having been a B2B sales professional for 10+ years, I only wish I was given this book and told to read it when I was selling.

I consider myself lucky to be able to use this as a foundation piece to delivering world class Negotiation Training to sales professionals.

I was totally blown away by your book Unlocking Yes. It shows incredible depth of knowledge, a wealth of real world experience, and strategies that are truly meaningful and valuable in any sales negotiation. Incredibly well done, easy to read and invaluable.

Unlocking Yes” is a powerful, practical book, loaded with proven negotiating strategies you can use to get better deals every time.

Unlocking Yes is a great read, with simple easy to use tools and reminders for successful sales negotiations. The 3 key insights for me were: The Power SWOT, the Reduce Conflict, and the Smart Negotiation Tactics. Knowing what your competition is doing or what they know is really key to closing a deal well.

Author Patrick Tinney frequent references to Sir Winston Churchill and the art of "reconnaissance" validates exactly what it means to have what it takes to be influential, respected and know what your client's position is, which ultimately leads to you know what to with the information you have. It gives you LEVERAGE.

This book is not a one-time read, but rather a source of reference and a tool to keep close to you during each phase of the negotiations. If one is in sales or business development, you are doing a disservice to yourself if you are not following these practices.

I believe anyone in sales and business development should definitely read Unlocking Yes and prepare so as not to lose out on the full potential of closing a deal right!

Unlocking Yes, Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy" is the most comprehensive book on sales and negotiating that I have found to date.

Patrick Tinney covers it all, based on his years of experience being a successful salesman involved in numerous negotiations. I can't remember the last time I highlighted so many passages in a book. It's such a great resource it's added to my confidence in selling my services, and I found the book so valuable I plan on reading it a second time over the holidays.

We all sell ourselves every day and have encountered situations where we must negotiate, regardless of our profession. This is a book that would help everyone do a better job in negotiating and trying to sell them-selves in any situation. I highly recommend this five-star read!

Unlocking Yes is a good book. Short, snappy chapters that you can read through quickly. I found the sections on Exploration, Relationships and Trust most attractive to me.

There are also sections on Philosophy, Preparing to Close, The Close, The Aftermath and 12 Negotiation Strategies.

This book just seems different from other sales books I've read and it has very interesting chapters that you wouldn't expect to find in a book on this topic, yet clearly relate to helping your customers/clients win so you can benefit too.

This book will make you think, it's not a chore to go back for a refresher and the writing voice of the author makes it easy to stay engaged in reading.

Every time you are trying to persuade someone else to think a certain way or choose a certain path of action, you are essentially selling.

For these reasons, it’s worth considering picking up Unlocking Yes. Tinney builds on the models and insights of earlier books and researchers, and links sales and negotiating to other business models, such as a SWOT, and research, such as emotional intelligence. The book is very readable – most chapters are only a couple of pages long – and while some thought-provoking tidbits are for those who title themselves in sales, other chapters are
more generalized.

For example, when was the last time you did SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) about your own perspective that you are hoping to “sell” to someone else? Tinney also provides tactics to reduce stress, reduce conflict and handle aggressive negotiators – topics that could benefit many of today’s workers and managers.

UNLOCKING YES is a unique sales tool that takes the reader through the complex path of successful negotiations. Patrick has managed to distill the art of selling into bite size pieces with great anecdotes and rationale. His approach to sales guidance is especially suitable for those just entering into the sales world.

Unlocking Yes, is a true gold mine of knowledge for any industry. Unlocking Yes is presented in very easy to follow format with empathises on key negotiation lesson points. This book teaches youhow to build your strategy! It teaches you how to ask the right questions and provides solutions for an array of possible outcomes. Working in the Information Technology Industry we have almost daily negotiations of contracts and purchases.

Applying the knowledge presented in Unlocking Yes has allowed me to grow on both personal and professional levels, while getting better deals and
saving money for the company!

Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy has inspired me to revisit our company goals. Goals, that are inspirational, forward thinking and doable.

I view Unlocking Yes as a hands-on sales negotiation book that I keep close by and will re-visit as an actionable reference.

Using real world examples learn how to engage professional buyers who are trained in procurement and negotiation practices while bringing relationship based selling to profitable closures.

Calling on years of marketing and sales experience, Patrick Tinney is now offering his secrets to success. Over his 30-year-career Mr. Tinney has helped seal the deal of multi-million dollar media sales and negotiation solutions for many of Canada's largest advertisers. His tips to convince clients to say yes are outlined in his new book entitled Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy.

Unlocking Yes should be required reading for any sales professional who is interested in maximizing their potential (and income!) A great source of insight and actionable advice.

Patrick I was most impressed with your in-depth knowledge in Sales Negotiations. There is no doubt that you have done your homework and speak from a career of experience. I found the Philosophy, Part 1, quite routine and common place for me. However, Parts 11, 111 and IV, relating to your experience and practices are insightful and stimulating. I would love to have read the, Part V, on closing the deal earlier in my negotiating experience as I can now understand my weakness in closing a deal effectively. I appreciated the guiding questions focusing on: Timing, Place, Vitality, Profitability, Success, Approval and Authority, these were most helpful suggestions.

Thanks Patrick this was a good read.

What a privilege to review Unlocking Yes! Within pages I knew this book was written by someone with real life experience, not someone with an unproven, academic theory. Unlocking Yes is sprinkled with extremely useful gems and thought-provoking suggestions. From Patrick’s idea of asking armor piercing questions, to his powerful, “How effectively does your sales team negotiate for your company?”, I was awoken to how this book could help train teams to better negotiate with today’s increasingly sophisticate buyers. A must have for anyone who manages a sales team or leads a company.

Unlocking Yes
Congratulations to Patrick Tinney for providing a valuable tool to advertising professionals with the launch of his book Unlocking Yes – Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy. Tinney, known to OCNA member newspapers as a trusted trainer and founder of Centroid Training and Marketing, shows us again that success in consultative sales process can be had through a deep understanding of negotiations.

Tinney reminds us that many sales professionals profess to be great negotiators even though they cannot describe a single negotiation strategy, philosophy or process. Unlocking Yes solves that problem by using real life situations, business cases, and tactics (even Winston Churchill’s) that will have readers leaping to the next level of success immediately.

This should be a must-read for all your advertising professionals, but negotiation is a life skill for staff in all media departments so share this book and share the positive results. Patrick Tinney can be reached at patrick@centroidmarketing.com 705-657-2518.

Your book Unlocking Yes was amazing. My favourite chapter is Relationship and Trust. I also explained that to my colleagues and encouraged them to get your book.

Honestly, the simplicity of this book is really attractive.

Unlocking Yes” being small enough to hold in one hand as I read it on my subway commutes to and from work. I found your writing to be direct, clear and concise which is a sign of a great Sales Executive. I felt the information and techniques presented applied to all relationships in life which require negotiation.

After completing a 25-year career (with one of the largest companies within the United States that operated in all five continents), which culminated with a leadership role at the executive-level, I made a paradigm shift and purchased a luxury vehicle dealership. As such, my professional development reading list was littered with multiple “how-to” books related to sales, sales negotiations and customer service/satisfaction. Many were helpful; more were fodder for my fireplace. With the discovery and thorough reading of Unlocking Yes by Patrick Tinney, I can unequivocally say that Patrick’s approach to “Teaching, Coaching, Training, and Mentoring” is phenomenal. Unlocking Yes provided me some of the most insightful and clear explanations to aspects within my business that had before its reading, been a source of major stress. I am on my third read of the book and consider it a necessity to review before any large deals come to fruition. A great read that I would recommend to anyone who considers themselves a professional within the sales industry.

Patrick writes with the critical expertise of one who understands that negotiations and sales are more than products and services. Unlocking Yes will teach your sales force about the gears and levers of the sales and negotiating process but it will also challenge your team to view interactions from the mindset of your clients, what they need, what they hear, and what they are saying without words.

Patrick emphasizes relationships and what he calls the “soft, intuitive people skills vs. the hard process skills.” As founder of four B2B startups I can testify that relationships are key. I have driven in a snowstorm or hopped on a plane more than once to be able to look my prospective clients in the eye, reinforce the relationship, and let them know I was committed to knowing what they needed both before and after the sale.

Unlocking Yes goes beyond a philosophical study on sales and negotiations. Sales teams should study Patrick’s 10 “Winning Sales Negotiation Traits,” his “4 Powerful Words” (of which trust is one and, in my opinion, could not be emphasized too much), his 4 steps to neutralize a “split-the-different” negotiation tactic, his seven steps for managing risk, and his timely and relevant tips for negotiating via mobile, Skype, or email.

In the hands of your sales force, Unlocking Yes can provide rich material for discussion and learning – and it could end up becoming the gift that keeps on giving to your team’s skill growth and success.

Yes, I'm sold. Unlocking Yes offers great insights, examples and strategies from a great sales warrior. The book literally spells out steps necessary to get that ever more elusive * YES * from a potential customer. I will keep it on the shelf for future reference. Great work Pat!

Patrick Tinney’s book, “Unlocking Yes”, is an excellent resource for buyers and sellers facing negotiation challenges. It is current, concise and technical in its approach to addressing 12 top negotiation strategies and options for navigating effectively.

I was truly impressed by the clarity of Patrick’s writing style and ease with which he incorporates great examples from his own vast experience. While this book is very straightforward and specific in its recommendations, it does not suggest gimmicks or quick fixes to winning at negotiations. On the contrary, it reinforces the cornerstones of buyer-seller dynamic; preparation, trust, and mindful strategy. Patrick acknowledges the change in this dynamic due to the current day reliance on communication via text, e-mail or Skype, and reinforces the fact that the actual communication still needs to take place. He offers great tips and considerations for managing this form of information exchange without derailing the strategy.

I highly recommend “Unlocking Yes” to both seasoned professionals and new managers whether on the buying or selling side of negotiations. As a senior manager and experienced negotiator, it reminded me of several great strategies I have not used in some time but should pull back into my toolkit. For young professionals, and perhaps more importantly for mentors to these future executives, I strongly encourage you to use Patrick Tinney’s book as a framework for building critical expertise in the complex world of negotiations.

Patrick's book “Unlocking Yes” is clearly and simply written, while it is full of a great deal of very useful guidelines and illustrative stories. Patrick conveys his years of rich experience to make his points. This book is not theory, it is real life! What I also like a lot is that Patrick shows his high regard for his fellow human beings. Sales, and all human interactions, are about relationships. Along this line, Unlocking Yes is about more than sales. Well done.

Patrick Tinney of Centroid Training and Marketing has written and published the definitive guide for sales professionals who need to sharpen their Negotiating skills. Sales Negotiation is an integral part of consultative selling however the academic and business world are at odds how to align these two subjects. In "Unlocking Yes," Patrick Tinney unlocks the answer to Negotiating skills for today's sales professional by using real life examples and demonstrating how to engage professional buyers and how to bring relationship-based selling to profitable closures.

From the philosophy of Negotiation through exploration, Patrick teaches the reader how to ask high value questions, exploring the six areas of information where a great deal of information can be gained:-

1. Timing
2. Corporate Culture
3. Response Expectations
4. Goals
5. Personnel
6. Budget Information

Learn the ten (10) most important questions you can ask in a smart Negotiation not knowing enough about the other party will cost you money, says Patrick.

Building trust is at the heart of sales Negotiations and in "Unlocking Yes" you can discover how to both build trust and strengthen your relationships with your prospect.

Using the power of BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) will help you discover creative solutions and proposal incentives.

Mitigating and managing risk, winning and closing Negotiations, "Unlocking Yes" is the sales professional’s bible for winning Negotiations. Patrick closes the book with twelve (12) Negotiations strategies that every sales person needs to know.

If you buy one sales book this year pick up a copy of Patrick Tinney's Unlocking Yes and Negotiate your way to success in sales.

I read your book Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy and really like it. For me it was how thoughtful preparation makes a big difference, like the SWOT on both yourself and the prospective customer. That kind of clarity, sense of purpose and direction - all in the context of high integrity - well, refreshing comes to mind.

Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons and Strategy by Patrick Tinney,…. It does have lots of gritty and valuable lessons on better negotiations, planning, process and results. Every so often a book comes along with a lot of good ideas to think about….this is one. A good read. The author sent me this book to review. Suggest you go right to: www.centroidmarketing.com

Patrick Tinney's book is a concise and easy to understand resource for anyone involved in small or large scale negotiation. "Unlocking Yes" helped me to negotiate a great deal on a new car purchase. I found Patrick's examples of how to prepare for and (profitably) close a deal immensely useful. I highly recommend "Unlocking Yes" to anyone who wants to benefit from Patrick's years of experience with highly successful negotiation strategies.

Pat Tinney's book Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy is not only an excellent overview for those just starting in sales but also is a great refresher course for all negotiators. Pat clearly lays out the steps to a successful sales negotiation. I would recommend this as the perfect base for your sales training courses.

Unlocking Yes, Yes, Yes...

Author Pat Tinney has nailed it! A quick, comprehensive read that encapsulates the principles of knowing the value and strength of a product/service as it may apply to clients' business interests while understanding the client’s communication posture and possible negotiation strategies in the sales process. The "pièce de résistance" are Paddy's tips on preparing to meet the client, questions to ask, creative application of the product/service to the client’s need, building trust, diffusing difficult situations, overcoming objections and traps, and ultimately executing a win/win sale. A must read for the sales neophyte to the experienced professional.

In Unlocking Yes, my favorite lesson is #25 - The Value of Storytelling - because I believe sellers who tell stories about their product are far more effective. Buyers respond to stories - relevant, interesting, humorous stories around and about the product.

Storytelling has to have a context within which the buyer can relate. But once those commonalities are established, it's much easier to create trust.

Storytelling is also a way of presenting research in a non-nerdy way. If you can describe a situation where you (or a friend) were in the market for your buyer's services, you can use this to overcome many objections you encounter - without presenting (or in addition to) data. Let's not forget that sellers are also consumers and their shopping/buying experience is relevant in a negotiation.

I could go on…Unlocking Yes is a must-read as far as I am concerned.

There are, no NO’S, when one reads UNLOCKING YES!

I like the brevity of Patrick’s writing. Unlocking Yes is a fantastic read and should be a resource tool in all Business practice. Strategy has always been a major part of my sales and management career. I like how author Patrick Tinney has related strategy and negotiation.

Congratulations Patrick in having dedicated a chapter to TRUST. As Humans, this is the foundation of all relationships. This year 2015 should be everyone’s year for Unlocking YES!

In today’s fiercely competitive marketplace, superior sales negotiations and strategies positively impact proposals and ultimately company performance. Patrick has assembled a valuable one-stop resource providing real-life lessons that explores the disciplines needed to build trust, navigate objections and close deals.

Patrick has taken some of most complex human interactions and skillfully explained strategy in very simple and understandable terms (in Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy). I have been in sales all my life, and I wish I had this book 20 years ago. Planning before, during, and after negotiations would have been smoother and more lucrative. I also get a sense that Patrick is a very ethical man - his sales techniques are not out to gauge the buyer, they are designed to meet the needs of both buyer and seller. But there's something else: This is an excellent book for sales forces, large and small. I believe it is also a book for people in all walks of life, not just for those who can technically call themselves sales people. The need for negotiation skills is not limited to when there is money on the table or an occasion to haggle over a price, product, or service. Every business person who has a boss, a co-worker, or an employee can become more effective when selling innovative ideas, asking for a raise, selling corporate strategy within the walls of your own company, and so much more. Every entrepreneur needs to incorporate Patrick's principles when raising seed funding and further rounds of funding. And dare I say that anyone who has ever been a parent, a spouse or a friend would benefit from the life principles in this book. Get the book. It's a keeper.

Patrick Tinney has created a very readable book (Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons & Strategy) that integrates the art and science of negotiation with his views on improving the sales process. Tinney shares the experience he has gained in a book that flows from his approach on the philosophy and process of negotiation through to key strategies to pursue. The reader can keep referring back to the book time and time again. Each chapter is concise and explains the why and how, often with a personal experience that provides context. Patrick’s personal style and genuine passion for the process comes through. His viewpoint blends the short term objectives of the deal with the long term view of the relationship at stake. This is not a textbook but a philosophical and strategic approach developed through decades of high profile negotiation mostly in the high stakes world of advertising. Regardless of the business or organization where you work, this book is well worth your time to understand how to prepare and work through a successful negotiation.

I only read half of Unlocking YES so far and it's a great book. We can easily see that Patrick has a lot of experience in the field as he shares many valuable tips you can use on a daily basis.

Unlocking YES, it is possibly the first easy-to-read business book, a page-turner in fact, free of whatever passes for current business jargon. This somewhat jaded writer could not put it down until he had read it cover to cover. It is chock full of information that any person in business could put to immediate use.

Although already one of the most published writers on business negotiation in Canada, Lakefield resident Patrick Tinney can now add a book to his resume. After six years in the making, Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons and Strategy, a book offering sales and negotiation lessons based on Tinney's personal experiences, is now on the market.

Patrick Tinney, a veteran sales and marketing executive now living in Peterborough, Ont., explains how to improve your sales negotiation strategy in Unlocking Yes

There are many successful salespeople. What separates good from great though? What insights and roads to greater glory are there for productive individuals and organizations to create and claim more value? Patrick Tinney, managing partner of Centroid Training and Marketing in Peterborough, Ontario has written Unlocking Yes: Sales Negotiation Lessons and Strategy to help people communicate more effectively, relationship build and succeed with professional and highly-skilled buyers.

If selling is the art of negotiating Unlocking YES is what comfort food is to the masses. Unlocking YES is the full meal deal. Unlocking Yes is easy to read and digest which makes it palpable for any sales person to learn the correct behaviours essential to making money. Unlocking Yes helps sales people to reinvent themselves. Sales is the last God given frontier to making unlimited income requiring no other talent than intrinsic motivation and Unlocking YES.

Patrick, I enjoyed reading your book. It was well written, concise and insightful. I particularly liked your references to the great Winston Churchill. I would recommend Unlocking Yes to anyone looking for a comprehensive guide to sales negotiation.

Unlocking Yes" will be a great resource to sales and marketing professionals. The author has managed to create a resource guide that has the credibility of a text book comb ined with real life stories to illustrate all the keymes sages.

A power house of Negotiation Strategies and Advice. Unlocking Yes has quickly become one of my few go to books when closing a new deal. Well written and full of advice for the sales and marketing professional.

As a writer of "Negotiating Procurement Contracts -The Knowledge to Negotiate" and the Blog "Knowledge To Negotiate" (both of which are buyer centric) when Patrick announced he had published I had to buy a copy to see what he recommend. After reading it I feel it's a great resource for sales people wanting to increase
their chances of both making sales and build relationships for the future where they can increase profitability and work cooperatively with the buyer for mutual success. Too many sales people don't do collaborative selling and don't do their homework and learn about their customer and their customer’s needs and what
will influence their buying decision. If sales people learn and practice Patrick's lessons they will have a much better chance at success.

Having spent time talking with Pat while he was writing this book, I can attest to his authenticity in his writing. He has been able to demonstrate strategies that are immediately usable in my own work environment. His influence has added to my own success and the way the book is laid out, allows the reader to find material that matters to them.

As a sales distributor, I am amazed at the amount of negotiation strategy information in "Unlocking Yes" that I am able to implement into my daily routine. And by recognizing the '12 buyer negotiation strategies', it allows me the flexibility to tailor each sales negotiation, to attain maximum win/win for me and for each of my clients! I heartily recommend this book for anyone in a sales or customer relations role!

Unlocking Yes - easy read, full of pearls for large and small firms. Valuable reference.

I enjoyed the read. I liked the personalization of your mother and sister's experience, learnings, courage and subsequent adaptation (can always learn lots from women right?). In the back end you really started to deconstruct the negotiation strategy and also tactics for those that wouldn't instinctively know how to apply. Good read.

I just wish I had this book when I started my career.I f you want a better overcome read this book before you sign your next contract. Better still, call Patrick and book a coaching session with him.The ROI will keeping you smiling!